ZKTorch: Compiling ML Inference to Zero-Knowledge Proofs via Parallel Proof Accumulation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Chen, Bing-Jyue, Tang, Lilia, Kang, Daniel
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Chen, Bing-Jyue
Tang, Lilia
Kang, Daniel
author_facet Chen, Bing-Jyue
Tang, Lilia
Kang, Daniel
contents As AI models become ubiquitous in our daily lives, there has been an increasing demand for transparency in ML services. However, the model owner does not want to reveal the weights, as they are considered trade secrets. To solve this problem, researchers have turned to zero-knowledge proofs of ML model inference. These proofs convince the user that the ML model output is correct, without revealing the weights of the model to the user. Past work on these provers can be placed into two categories. The first method compiles the ML model into a low-level circuit, and proves the circuit using a ZK-SNARK. The second method uses custom cryptographic protocols designed only for a specific class of models. Unfortunately, the first method is highly inefficient, making it impractical for the large models used today, and the second method does not generalize well, making it difficult to update in the rapidly changing field of machine learning. To solve this, we propose ZKTorch, an open source end-to-end proving system that compiles ML models into base cryptographic operations called basic blocks, each proved using specialized protocols. ZKTorch is built on top of a novel parallel extension to the Mira accumulation scheme, enabling succinct proofs with minimal accumulation overhead. These contributions allow ZKTorch to achieve at least a $3\times$ reduction in the proof size compared to specialized protocols and up to a $6\times$ speedup in proving time over a general-purpose ZKML framework.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_07031
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle ZKTorch: Compiling ML Inference to Zero-Knowledge Proofs via Parallel Proof Accumulation
Chen, Bing-Jyue
Tang, Lilia
Kang, Daniel
Cryptography and Security
Machine Learning
As AI models become ubiquitous in our daily lives, there has been an increasing demand for transparency in ML services. However, the model owner does not want to reveal the weights, as they are considered trade secrets. To solve this problem, researchers have turned to zero-knowledge proofs of ML model inference. These proofs convince the user that the ML model output is correct, without revealing the weights of the model to the user. Past work on these provers can be placed into two categories. The first method compiles the ML model into a low-level circuit, and proves the circuit using a ZK-SNARK. The second method uses custom cryptographic protocols designed only for a specific class of models. Unfortunately, the first method is highly inefficient, making it impractical for the large models used today, and the second method does not generalize well, making it difficult to update in the rapidly changing field of machine learning. To solve this, we propose ZKTorch, an open source end-to-end proving system that compiles ML models into base cryptographic operations called basic blocks, each proved using specialized protocols. ZKTorch is built on top of a novel parallel extension to the Mira accumulation scheme, enabling succinct proofs with minimal accumulation overhead. These contributions allow ZKTorch to achieve at least a $3\times$ reduction in the proof size compared to specialized protocols and up to a $6\times$ speedup in proving time over a general-purpose ZKML framework.
title ZKTorch: Compiling ML Inference to Zero-Knowledge Proofs via Parallel Proof Accumulation
topic Cryptography and Security
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.07031