Overview

• The new cluster brings together 47 researchers and engineers led by Blockscout founder Igor Barinov.
• It will operate alongside the long‑running PSE effort and align with projects including Private Reads/Writes, Private Proving, Private Identities, Privacy Experience, and the Institutional Privacy Task Force.
• Kohaku, a privacy‑preserving wallet and open‑source SDK, is identified as a priority focus for real‑world testing.
• Research spans zero‑knowledge proofs, scalability and confidentiality, with application‑layer tools such as Semaphore and stealth addresses in scope.
• Reporting indicates the Ethereum Foundation recently sold 1,000 ETH to help fund privacy R&D.