Victoria d’Este
Printed: June 25, 2025 at 9:24 am Up to date: June 25, 2025 at 9:25 am
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June 25, 2025 at 9:24 am
In Transient
Pi Squared is constructing a common, verifiability-first infrastructure that makes conventional Layer 1s, Layer 2s—and the necessity to decide on between them—utterly out of date.
Most individuals consider blockchain as immutable code and cryptographic signatures. Grigore Roșu sees it in another way: as arithmetic in movement. A veteran of NASA and a professor of laptop science, Roșu is constructing Pi Squared—a radical reimagining of Web3 the place each computation turns into a mathematical proof, verifiable by design.
On this interview, he explains why blockchains are only one use case for his “verifiability-first” stack, how AI brokers can function with out ever touching a series, and why the excellence between L1s and L2s would possibly quickly disappear totally.
Are you able to share your journey into Web3? What led you to discovered Pi Squared?
I entered the Web3 and blockchain area in 2017. Curiously, earlier than that, I labored extensively in formal verification and formal strategies, significantly on programming language semantics. These methods had been primarily used to research and show the correctness of mission-critical software program for purchasers like NASA, Boeing, and Toyota.
I had co-founded one other firm centered on runtime verification. We utilized formal verification methods to mission-critical software program. Then, in 2017, Charles Hoskinson, the founding father of Cardano, reached out to me and instructed that these identical strategies might be utilized to confirm sensible contracts and protocols in Web3. I regarded into him, and he was legit, and that’s how we began collaborating.
So we introduced the rigorous software program evaluation methods utilized in aerospace and automotive to Web3. That’s how I obtained began. I’m additionally a professor of laptop science on the College of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the place I’ve been instructing these strategies for over 20 years. I nonetheless collaborate with NASA as properly.
How do you envision Pi Squared’s function in advancing Web3 via a verifiability-first infrastructure?
Web3 is all about verifiability. It empowers people to personal and switch their digital belongings. However this raises an enormous query: what if packages malfunction, or worse, what if somebody tries to maliciously steal belongings? That’s the place verifiability turns into essential.
At Pi Squared, we apply a long time of analysis in programming languages and formal verification to Web3. We generate mathematical proofs that sensible contracts and different packages are functioning precisely as they need to, in line with their formal definitions. It’s probably the most rigorous degree of software program assurance we all know, and we’re bringing that to Web3.
What are the primary parts of your verifiability stack (VSL, VLM, and Proof of Proof), and the way do they work collectively?
The core parts are the Verifiable Settlement Layer (VSL), Verifiable Language Machine (VLM), and what we name “proof of proof.”
Every part is constructed on mathematical definitions of programming languages and computing fashions. We imagine—nearly religiously—you could’t discuss correctness except you’re utilizing mathematical definitions. This subject of formal semantics has existed for over 50 years and is foundational to laptop science.
In our system, each computation—whether or not it’s a program execution or a token switch—generates a mathematical proof. Computation is deduction, reasoning. What we do in another way is we confirm the integrity of program execution by verifying the integrity of its mathematical proof.
“Proof of proof” refers to a zero-knowledge cryptographic proof of a mathematical proof. That is what provides our firm its identify—Pi Squared. Mathematical proofs are massive however exact, and cryptographic proofs are small however environment friendly. By combining each, we obtain succinctness and correctness.
VSL handles verifiable computation settlements. VLM reduces any programming language execution to a mathematical proof. And proof of proof is the cherry on high—offering compact cryptographic proof of correctness.
How does the Verifiable Language Machine deal with cross-language interoperability, for instance, multi-language swaps?
The fantastic thing about the Verifiable Language Machine is that it reduces computations in any language to mathematical proofs. When you’re working with math, interoperability is automated.
Arithmetic has been round for hundreds of years, and it naturally permits for interoperability. You should use algebra in geometry, and vice versa. Equally, if each program execution turns into a mathematical proof, all these proofs are interoperable. So by translating computation into math, we get interoperability totally free.
What architectural challenges have emerged when constructing a common ZK verification layer?
Our common ZK verification layer has two elements: decreasing computation to a mathematical proof after which producing a ZK proof from that.
The primary half—formal semantics—is a mature subject. The second half, translating mathematical proofs into ZK proofs, is newer and presents distinctive challenges.
Adapting ZK circuits to work with mathematical proofs was surprisingly not the toughest half. The large problem was engineering an infrastructure that might generate these mathematical proofs in actual time as a program runs—say, on the EVM. Nobody else is doing that, and that’s the place Pi Squared stands out.
Whereas most ZK tasks create customized circuits for particular languages like RISC-V, we go from any language to math, after which from math to ZK. That’s what makes our system common.
What main milestones are you planning within the subsequent 12–24 months, particularly round DevNet maturity and mainnet launch?
Our greatest upcoming milestone is the launch of our Mainnet, a big, decentralized validator community. We hope to have greater than one million validators. Anybody can be part of, even with a laptop computer or cellphone.
Due to the effectivity of verifying ZK proofs, hundreds of verifications per second may be performed on on a regular basis {hardware}. As soon as the community is reside, the probabilities are infinite.
We’ll construct purposes on high, like AI brokers and even complete blockchains. Actually, our infrastructure is extra elementary than blockchains. We don’t distinguish between Layer 1 and Layer 2. We’re like a Layer 0—and even Layer -1.
How do you propose to onboard tens of millions of builders to Web3 together with your “Deliver Your Personal Language” method?
With BYOL (Deliver Your Personal Language), builders can write Web3 purposes in no matter language they’re already utilizing: Java, C, C++, and so forth.
This massively expands the developer base from the tens of hundreds who know Solidity to tens of millions who know typical programming languages. You don’t must be taught Solidity or EVM to turn into a Web3 developer anymore.
What’s your imaginative and prescient for a way a common settlement layer can disrupt present Layer 2 architectures?
Truthfully, L2s exist as a result of L1s like Ethereum are too sluggish and costly. However when you have a common, verifiable settlement layer that may deal with any computation in any language immediately, you now not want to differentiate between L1s and L2s.
In our system, each turn into simply purposes on high of our infrastructure. Even voting, funds, and auctions may be performed verifiably and decentralized—with no need a blockchain.
What’s your stance on the shift towards modular verification in distinction to conventional blockchain-centric Web3?
Conventional blockchains implement a complete order of transactions, like Bitcoin does, to forestall double spending. However that comes at an enormous scalability price.
Our method is completely different. Every computation is independently verifiable and doesn’t must be ordered. It’s like tree leaves transferring independently within the wind. That’s the way forward for Web3.
The place do you see the most important challenges within the convergence of AI and crypto, and the way will Pi Squared’s VSL deal with them?
AI brokers want two issues from crypto: funds and state settlement. Each may be performed with no blockchain.
Blockchains can supply these options, however at a excessive price. Pi Squared’s VSL gives verifiability, decentralization, and correctness—all with uncapped efficiency. No ready in line, no pressured ordering.
By “unchaining the chain,” we create a basis for AI brokers to function freely and independently, with out sacrificing decentralization or safety.
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About The Writer
Victoria is a author on a wide range of know-how subjects together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her intensive expertise permits her to put in writing insightful articles for the broader viewers.
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Victoria d’Este
Victoria is a author on a wide range of know-how subjects together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her intensive expertise permits her to put in writing insightful articles for the broader viewers.
