OpenVM

OpenVM is a modular zkVM framework led by Axiom, designed for customization and extensibility. It adopts a no-CPU architecture that distributes execution traces across different circuits, implementing all functionality, including RISC-V execution, proof aggregation, and elliptic-curve operations, through VM extensions that developers can add without forking. The pain point it addresses is that traditional zkVMs are constrained by fixed instruction sets and a trade-off between flexibility and efficiency, struggling to be both flexible and fast.

OpenVM's positioning is a high-performance, open-source zero-knowledge virtual machine standard that supports on-chain proof verification through a Solidity SDK. By decoupling extensions from the core, it lets teams accelerate specific business logic without touching the underlying circuit. Recently it has expanded the formally verified extension set and improved throughput of multi-GPU distributed proving, while refining the Rust toolchain and RISC-V target support so ordinary programs compile more smoothly into artifacts executable in the proof system.