Google Cloud’s BigQuery Embraces Space and Time’s ZK-Proof for Verifiable Query Results

Space and Time, a data warehousing player, announced that it will enable its novel zero-knowledge (ZK) proof for SQL operations to work with Google Cloud’s warehouse, BigQuery.

Dubbed ‘Proof of SQL,’ Space and Time’s new ZK protocol, will enable developers leveraging BigQuery to cryptographically confirm query results were computed accurately and on untampered data. BitQuery is the latest to incorporate the ZK-proof technology while citing that the end goal is to establish transparency, trust, and data integrity for developers and businesses operating in the ‘verify-everything’ era.

ZK-Powered Proof of SQL

According to the official press release shared with CryptoPotato, Proof of SQL serves as a ZK-proof linked to SQL databases, designed to provide clients with cryptographic verification that both query execution and the underlying tables remain unaltered.

It was initially conceived to validate queries within the Space and Time data warehouse. But Proof of SQL can now be integrated with any SQL database or data warehouse, thereby extending ZK-verified query processing capabilities to data hosted on Google Cloud.

The company also highlighted that the ZK-database capabilities are expected to offer BigQuery customers cryptographic assurance that their data remains untouched and that their queries are yielding a verifiable answer. his capability proves particularly valuable in the context of blockchain technology, where businesses increasingly seek to connect their cloud data warehousing services with their smart contracts, enabling on-chain business logic.

It will also enable developers and enterprises to build Large Language Models (LLMs) that are trained on a verifiable dataset, data-driven smart contracts, and ZK-powered business applications.

Google Cloud’s Web3 head James Tromans, commented

“Our goal is to help Web3 developers build applications at scale by providing them access to a range of tools and services. Now BigQuery customers will be able to access Space and Time’s ZK-proof protocol which can help verify blockchain smart contracts and other business processes that require verifiable compute against data.”

Zero-Knowledge Tech Development

Zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs have emerged as a hot topic amidst growing privacy breaches and data vulnerabilities in the bear market. ZK proofs are cryptographic methods enabling one party to prove to another party that something is true without divulging any confidential information.

This tech is playing a crucial role in powering layer-2 solutions. Ethereum scaling project, Polygon, for instance, is exploring ZK tech with “zkEVM,” which happens to be a virtual machine designed and developed to emulate the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)