> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nexus.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nexus.xyz/architecture/compute-network.md). # Compute Network The Compute Network is what lets anyone verify Nexus markets without trusting the operator: it produces validity proofs of execution that any party can check independently. It is a distributed proof-generation network, live on Nexus Testnet since December 2024. While the Nexus blockchain itself is live on mainnet today, the Compute Network remains in active testing: it is exercising and hardening its ability to prove Nexus blockchain blocks on testnet before that proving becomes part of mainnet operation. The components below describe the proving architecture as it is being proven out. ## Decoupled by design Consensus and verification run as independent networks connected by a deterministic interface. NexusBFT finalizes and orders blocks; the Compute Network proves them. Separating the two lets proving scale and use specialized hardware without adding load to validators, and a proving delay never affects consensus liveness. Each layer scales and upgrades on its own. ## Proof lifecycle ```mermaid flowchart LR F[Block finalized] --> A[Prover assigned] A --> P[Proof generated] P --> G[Aggregated] G --> V[Verified on-chain] ``` Finalized blocks are assigned to provers, which generate validity proofs. Proofs are recursively aggregated into a single succinct proof and verified on-chain, at which point the state is proven. The pipeline runs continuously, overlapping block production for near-real-time verifiability. ## Roles * **Provers** — generate validity proofs for NexusCore and NexusEVM execution. * **Aggregators** — recursively combine block proofs into compact epoch proofs. * **Verifier** — the consensus-side check that validates aggregated proofs and commits the proven state. ## The zkVM Every node in the network runs the **Nexus zkVM**, the verifiable processor that executes and proves Nexus computation. Its design is published in the [Nexus zkVM specification](https://specification.nexus.xyz/). ## Incentives The Compute Network has no staking. Nodes are incentivized for the compute they contribute, which the network tracks continuously and aggregates into points. NEX-based incentives for compute activity are distributed on an ad-hoc basis; the first such distribution took place at mainnet genesis. ## Coverage Proof coverage expands incrementally toward full coverage of both NexusCore and NexusEVM. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.nexus.xyz/architecture/compute-network.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.