Proof of Proof: A Universal Verifiable Computing Framework

This paper gives an overview of Pi Squared's Proof of Proof approach to universal and correct-by-construction verifiable computing. The idea of Proof of Proof is to separate the three underlying concerns: computation, verification, and cryptography. The K framework first reduces computation to mathematical proof within the formal semantics of the computational model (programming language, VM, ISA). The generated math proof is then verified using a small and universal math proof checker. Finally, the math proof checker is implemented as a SNARK, which produces ZK proofs for the integrity of the math proofs, that is, (ZK) Proofs of (math) Proofs. The Proof of Proof architecture allows us, for the first time, to completely eliminate the need to trust or formally verify any language-specific tools (compilers, interpreters/VMs, zkVMs).