Polygon Launches Ethereum zkEVM Testnet

Polygon has released its zkEVM testnet, used for testing Ethereum zk-rollups for dApps. Several prominent projects have immediately signed up, including DeFi platforms Aave and Uniswap, video-game company Midnight Society, and Web3 social network Lens.

Zk-rollups are used to increase the speed of transactions, lower their costs, and enhance privacy. They function by condensing several transactions so that they fit into a single block. This is a particularly useful option as Ethereum only works with 15 transactions per second.

Polygon’s zkEKM testnet is fully compatible with Ethereum. Developers should be able to easily migrate onto it, as all projects built on Ethereum or Polygon are intended to work right away without issues.

Polygon is now reaping the rewards following its last year’s acquisition of the zk-rollups startup Mir, worth $400 million, and a merger with the zk-rollups company Hermez, worth $250 million.