A16z Releases Lattice Jolt as Cardano Expands Post-Quantum ZK Research

A16z crypto has introduced Lattice Jolt, replacing Jolt’s previous elliptic-curve polynomial commitment system with a lattice-based construction designed for post-quantum security.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson responded directly to Justin Thaler’s announcement, writing, “Lol, there goes my weekend. Good work.” His reaction comes as Input Output Research continues work on related cryptographic primitives through the Cardano Vision research program, alongside new infrastructure for verifying zero-knowledge proofs on Cardano Layer 1.

Lattice Jolt Replaces Its Elliptic-Curve Commitment

Jolt is an open-source zkVM designed to prove the execution of RISC-V programs. A verifier can check a compact cryptographic proof instead of repeating the full computation.

The previous version used Dory, a polynomial commitment scheme based on elliptic-curve cryptography. Lattice Jolt replaces it with Akita, a lattice-based commitment scheme built around the Module-SIS assumption.

Akita was developed by LayerZero researchers together with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Southern California and a16z crypto.

According to a16z benchmarks, Lattice Jolt processes more than two million 64-bit RISC-V cycles per second on a CPU. Proving and verification run roughly two to three times faster than in the previous curve-based version, while proof sizes remain below 100 KB.

Its Apple Metal GPU backend exceeds ten million cycles per second on MacBook hardware, while prover memory requirements have been reduced to roughly 200 bytes per cycle.

Cardano Research Includes Lattice-Based SNARKs

Input Output Research had already included lattice-based cryptography in Cardano’s longer-term zero-knowledge research program.

The work covers lattice-based SNARKs, folding schemes and polynomial commitments, supported by a Systematization of Knowledge examining lattice-based folding and related proof constructions.

Polynomial commitments are core components of many modern proof systems. Akita applies a lattice-based construction to that layer, while IOR is studying similar cryptographic primitives as part of its post-quantum ZK research.

Cardano’s broader program also covers recursive proofs and folding techniques designed to compress larger computations into succinct proofs. IOR has described the planned ZK architecture as modular, allowing cryptographic components to evolve as new constructions become available.

Hoskinson’s response to the Lattice Jolt release adds a direct Cardano connection to a development already operating within the same research field.

Cardano Builds ZK Verification Infrastructure on Layer 1

Cardano’s zero-knowledge work is also moving into implementation-level infrastructure.

In its 2026 mid-year update, Input Output Research reported new ZK verification infrastructure for Cardano Layer 1, including tooling for Groth16 proofs and work evaluating the cost of Halo2 verification on-chain.

The second half of 2026 includes further work on post-quantum security, succinct proofs and ZK rollups, alongside continued research into the cryptographic primitives required to support them.

Lattice Jolt now demonstrates a lattice-based commitment system inside a working high-performance zkVM, with published results covering proof size, memory use and proving speed. Cardano’s own program is advancing through post-quantum research and Layer 1 verification tooling, while Hoskinson’s reaction places the new Jolt release directly on the radar of Cardano’s founder.