- Cardano has collaborated with global giants such as the Linux Foundation and Google on a project called Nightstream focused on privacy technology.
- Hoskinson also attacked Ethereum’s use of zero-knowledge technology, which he said has limitations and is under threat from the rise of AI.
Cardano is working on a new project with the Linux Foundation and Google, and founder Charles Hoskinson has revealed that some of the world’s 10 largest companies are joining the initiative.
On the Mr. M podcast, Hoskinson revealed that the new project is called Nightstream and will focus on privacy technology. The partners are “systematically implementing lattice-based cryptography into the folding scheme, and that will be Midnight’s long-term engine,” Hoskinson noted.
As we reported, Midnight is a privacy sidechain for Cardano that has seen an explosion of international cooperation from developers since its launch late last year.
breaking news
HOSKINSON partners with Google, FORTUNE 10, and LINUX FOUNDATION 😱😱😱 @IOHK_Charles works with Google, Fortune 10 companies, and the Linux Foundation to develop a cutting-edge zkVM at Nightstream based on a lattice folding scheme set to enhance privacy in Midnight… pic.twitter.com/H0yGXpbby1
— MinswapIntern (@MinswapIntern) January 19, 2026
Currently, Midnight relies on its “safety engines” Halo 2 and PLONK. These two have been using PLONK as a zero-knowledge proof system and Halo 2 as a scaling mechanism to power network verification and private computing.
So we have incredible privacy guarantees, but it’s classical cryptography. You can roll out universal primitives when you upgrade your system. There are many possibilities for the future that we have been thinking about.
Hoskinson declined to provide further details about the Nightstream partnership, including the role of Google, the Linux Foundation or other Fortune 100 companies in the effort. However, both Google and the Foundation are industry leaders in developing next-generation encryption technology. They have focused on post-quantum cryptography in recent years, and as we have reported, there is growing concern within cryptocurrencies.
Cardano founder: Ethereum bet on the wrong ZK Tech
Hoskinson also slammed Ethereum for applying zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, which he said has a narrow scope and will end up pitting the network against big tech companies, a battle it will inevitably lose. According to him, Ethereum initially introduced ZK technology purely to scale the network.
“They didn’t think about how to give users freedom of association, commerce and expression,” he said.
The developers of Ethereum realized that their approach was flawed and invented rollups and recursion. However, despite these solutions, the underlying infrastructure is still built on hash-based cryptographic primitives, which “lack rich algebraic properties.”
Cardano, on the other hand, is betting on lattice-based encryption. This gives the network a universal primitive that can do everything Ethereum can do, but it can also do a lot more. Additionally, this encryption allows Cardano developers to transform the lattice to work with chips designed to power artificial intelligence.
He said:
Sorry, I don’t care how big Ethereum is. Right now, it’s not bigger than Nvidia and AMD and this whole AI revolution. And Microsoft isn’t going to spend $100 billion buying custom chips for encryption.
Beyond Cardano, Hoskinson expressed confidence that Bitcoin will reach $250,000 due to adoption by institutions and governments. he added: BTC DeFi, particularly non-custodial yield products secured by the Bitcoin network, could propel Cardano to the top of crypto adoption.
Bitcoin is currently $91,250soak 2% While the looming trade war between the US and the EU continues to cast a dark shadow, the other day, BTCas we reported. ADA transaction price $0.3595 and fell 8% In the past week.
