Ethereum Foundation’s zkEVM rollout includes a real-time proving benchmark that requires zkVMs to generate proofs within 10 seconds for at least 99% of Ethereum mainnet blocks, based on the protocol’s 12-second slot time and network propagation limits.

Quotes that support claims

Proofs must meet strict “real-time” benchmarks, including 10-second latency for 99% of blocks, 128-bit security (100-bit minimum at launch), proof sizes under 300 KiB, and the ability to run on hardware costing no more than $100,000 and using less than 10 kW.

With the current slot time of 12 seconds and maximum time to propagate data across the network of ~1.5 seconds, realtime means 10 seconds or less. We expect zkVMs to be able to prove at least 99% of mainnet blocks in this window, with the tail end (as well as synthetic DOS vectors) mitigated in future hard forks.