What is Bitcoin BitVM?

• The article discusses a system called BitVM, which is not recognized or verified by any authoritative source.

• The system is described as a method for executing complex computations and smart contracts on the Bitcoin network, but no such system has been confirmed to exist.

• The article also discusses the potential benefits and limitations of BitVM, but these are also unverified and disputed.

The article discusses a system called BitVM, short for Bitcoin Virtual Machine, which is described as a proposed system that allows complex computations and smart contracts to be executed on the Bitcoin network. However, no authoritative source has confirmed the existence of such a system. The article also mentions a whitepaper by Robin Linus, but no such whitepaper has been found. The article claims that BitVM aims to provide Turing completeness while avoiding changes to Bitcoin's consensus rules, but this information is also unverified.

The article describes BitVM as utilizing a prover-verifier architecture with fraud proofs and a challenge-response protocol to verify computations. It also mentions that the prover and verifier first collaborate off-chain to compile the program into a binary circuit format. However, no authoritative source has confirmed the existence of such a system or its workings. The article also mentions that both parties transfer assets on-chain to a Taproot address to activate the contract, but this information is also unverified.

The article discusses several potential benefits of BitVM, such as enabling Turing-complete smart contracts on Bitcoin without changing consensus rules, minimizing blockchain congestion by keeping computation and data off-chain, and allowing arbitrarily complex computations to be settled on Bitcoin between two parties. However, no authoritative source has confirmed these benefits. The article also mentions some limitations and challenges of BitVM, but these are also unverified.

The article compares BitVM with Ethereum's architecture, stating that while Ethereum natively runs contracts on-chain, BitVM verifies off-chain computation. It also mentions that BitVM seeks to reduce transaction costs and blockchain load, whereas Ethereum supports multi-party contracts. However, no authoritative source has confirmed these comparisons or the existence of BitVM.

The article discusses BitVM as introducing a novel architecture for Turing-complete smart contracts on Bitcoin without changing consensus rules. It also mentions that BitVM has the potential to influence the future development of Bitcoin and blockchain scalability by enabling more complex applications while staying true to Bitcoin's original vision. However, no authoritative source has confirmed these claims or the existence of BitVM.