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Practical Proof Cost

Definition

Practical proof cost refers to the real-world computational resources and time needed to generate and verify cryptographic proofs. This measure quantifies the CPU cycles, memory usage, and execution duration required for operations within systems like zero-knowledge proofs. While these proofs offer substantial benefits for privacy and scalability, their utility in real-world blockchain applications is often constrained by these resource demands. Minimizing this cost is a primary objective in cryptographic research to facilitate broader adoption of verifiable computation.