This segment is from the 0xResearch newsletter. To access full editions, please subscribe. Nexus is positioning itself as “the world supercomputer. ” Its Layer 1 (L1) blockchain platform is showcasing its ambitious goals as it finalizes its testnet phase ahead of a mainnet launch scheduled for later this year. Anyone can join the network easily from any device with just a few clicks, contributing computing power to help create what Nexus calls “a verifiable world. ” What exactly is a “world supercomputer”?According to CEO and founder Daniel Marin, it’s a novel concept: “The goal is to build the largest distributed computer system ever, ” Marin explained to Blockworks, “because we want to aggregate computing power to develop a blockchain with a new architecture. ” Nexus integrates familiar ideas from other advanced blockchains into a single, opinionated Layer 1. Similar to Mina Protocol, Nexus aims to compress all blockchain states into one succinct proof. However, while Mina leverages recursive SNARKs for constant-size proofs, Nexus utilizes a RISC-V-based zkVM designed to handle much more complex tasks, such as AI inference. Its choice of a RISC-V zkVM resembles RISC Zero’s technology, which allows general-purpose Rust code to be verifiably proven, but Nexus incorporates this virtual machine natively into its chain rather than as a separate service layer. Ethereum itself may eventually adopt a comparable approach. For data availability, Nexus’ planned sampling method parallels Celestia’s modular DA model. Its consensus mechanism is evolving from CometBFT (previously Tendermint) to HotStuff-2, making it more like Aptos or Sui. These protocols provide fast finality, and in Nexus’ case, help coordinate globally distributed proving tasks. Nexus embeds a decentralized compute cloud directly into its L1, turning every connected device into part of one verifiable computer powered by an Incrementally Verifiable Computation (IVC) machine.

This VM produces succinct proofs for each computation step, propagates those proofs using a DAG-style method, and consolidates them into a single Universal Proof. Nexus employs the Stwo (Circle STARK) prover. Though packed with technical terms, the key takeaway is that this design theoretically enables horizontal scalability, meaning every added node boosts network throughput. On the cryptography side, Nexus highlights contributions from leading experts like Jens Groth and Michel Abdalla, enhancing its credibility in zero-knowledge and blockchain research. This is not just theoretical. Last week, Nexus launched its third and final testnet, aiming for a mainnet debut in Q3. Nexus reports over 2. 1 million unique users across its testnets, with Sybil detection ensuring data integrity. Currently, approximately 4, 000 accounts are active, according to Nexus’ block explorer. For Marin, Nexus is about overcoming blockchain limitations “because it’s impossible to build any meaningful application today. ” He said, “Our hypothesis from the very start is that coding on a blockchain or coding on a zkVM should feel indistinguishable from coding on your own computer. ” The protocol prioritizes speed over decentralization. “We want to be decentralized eventually, but not right now; in fact, we want practically the opposite, ” Marin added. “It’s a philosophical stance that will upset some people. ” In the near term, Nexus plans quarterly releases, aiming to become the infrastructure backbone for the AI era. “We want users to feel, ‘Wow, we’re building the future. We’re part of a community and network. I can see other apps in the ecosystem, do quests, and have fun, ’” Marin concluded. Stay updated—explore Blockworks newsletters and get the news delivered to your inbox.