# Block composition benchmark

**URL:** <https://talk.neptune.cash/t/block-composition-benchmark/417>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** triton-vm, mining\
**Created:** [October 29, 2026, 8:25am UTC](https://talk.neptune.cash/t/block-composition-benchmark/417 "2026-10-29T08:25:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sword-smith](https://talk.neptune.cash/user_avatar/talk.neptune.cash/sword-smith/32/20_2.png) [@sword-smith](https://talk.neptune.cash/u/sword-smith)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 8:25am UTC](https://talk.neptune.cash/t/block-composition-benchmark/417/1 "2026-10-29T08:25:29Z")

</div>

Neptune relies on the zero-knowledge STARK VM called [Triton VM](https://triton-vm.org). To send transactions and to create new blocks, you have to create STARK proofs of a certain size. This size is measured in the length of the execution trace rounded up to the nearest power of two. To construct a block proposal, a block without a proof-of-work solution, you currently have to do the following work:

1. prove a coinbase transaction
2. If no transaction in mempool: construct an empty transaction
3. merge coinbase with transaction from mempool
4. verify the transaction proof in the block program

If there are synced transactions in the mempool, step 2 can be skipped.

The execution trace length (AKA padded height) of each proof is:

1. 2^{21} for coinbase
2. 2^{21} for empty transaction
3. 2^{20} for merge
4. 2^{19} for block program

When [softfork epsilon](https://github.com/Neptune-Crypto/neptune-core/pull/988) activates, more proving work will be required to construct a block proof. But the sizes of those new proofs will also be 2^{21} and 2^{20}.

## Benchmarks

**AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX 96-Cores**

| Padded height | Time [s] |
| --- | --- |
| 2^{19} | 3.9 |
| 2^{20} | 7.3 |
| 2^{21} | 14.1 |

**AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D 12-Core Processor**

| Padded height | Time [s] |
| --- | --- |
| 2^{19} | 10.7 |
| 2^{20} | 22.6 |
| 2^{21} | 53.3 |

With a transaction in the mempool, a block composition can thus be made in 14.1s + 7.3s + 3.9s = 25.3s on a Threadripper 7995wx.

Building a proof with padded height 2^{21} the fastest way possible requires 106GB RAM.