Meridian Link

Abstract

Cross-chain bridges represent one of the most critical yet vulnerable components of blockchain infrastructure, with over $2.5 billion lost to bridge exploits between 2022-2023 alone. MERIDIAN LINK introduces an architecture combining Light Protocol's ZK Compression on Solana with GrotH16 zero-knowledge proofs for verification on EVM chains, reducing trust assumptions compared to signature-based bridges while acknowledging explicit trade-offs. Key Properties: Cost reduction: 95%+ savings on Solana storage via compressed accounts (~15,000vs ~1,600,000 lamports per deposit record) Verification: GroTH16 proofs (~100-bit security on BN254) replace multisig attes-tation for withdrawal authorization Latency: ~20-25 seconds end-to-end (competitive with intent-based bridges) Replay protection: Poseidon-based nullifiers with on-chain tracking Explicit Limitations: Throughput: ~12-20 withdrawals per minute per direction (sequential IMT updates) EVM costs: Withdrawal verification costs ~$4-6 at 30 gwei, dominating total transfer cost Trust assumptions: GroTH16 trusted setup, Light Protocol implementation, Photon indexer availability, relayer liveness The protocol shifts the trust model from "honest majority of signers" to "cryptographic soundness plus infrastructure liveness." A compromised relayer cannot forge proofs or double-spend, but can censor transactions or extract MEV through reordering.