Decentralized Web3 data service taps ZK-proofs for tamper-proof SQL queries

cointelegraph.com:

Decentralized Web3 data service Space and Time has tapped into zero-knowledge proof (ZK-proof) technology to cryptographically verify information queries within its ecosystem.

The company’s proprietary Proof of SQL allows the platform to generate a SNARK cryptographic proof of a query within its decentralized data network, allowing users to trust that a data query is accurate and has not been manipulated.

Space and Time intends for the service to provide tamper-proof on-chain and off-chain data to blockchain services, advanced computing, artificial-intelligence and large language models. Space and Time co-founder Jay White told Cointelegraph that the innovation could prove useful across a range of blockchain-based solutions including financial services, retail, healthcare and gaming:

Proof of SQL will enable decentralized applications (DApps) to run a query to Space and Time’s data warehouse and create a roll-up of the result to a smart contract. The Proof of SQL ensures trustless, but verified, proofs of data that are efficient and privacy-preserving.

The firm notes that the service could provide significant value to industries where monetary value is directly linked to data, with financial services a prime example.

Related: Are ZK-proofs the answer to Bitcoin’s Ordinal and BRC-20 problem?

The company also sees potential in the technology to verify that large language models were trained on accurate, tamper-proof data. This could become an important aspect as tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT become integrated in business processes.

Space and Time’s service includes a blockchain data indexing service that features pre-built Web3 APIs that allow DApps to access real-time data from Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Chain, Sui and