Arcanum: a privacy-first compiler layer for source code — TEE now, ZK as the long-term foundation

Arcanum is a proposed compiler layer, presented as a pre-MVP conceptual whitepaper on ethresear.ch, that treats source code privacy as a first principle so plaintext source never exists post-compilation. It outlines a two-phase approach: first wrapping compiled code in hardware TEEs (Intel SGX, AMD SEV, ARM TrustZone), then transitioning to STARK-based ZK circuits as compiler infrastructure matures, removing the need for trusted hardware. The non-technical founder distinguishes it from verifiable-execution tools like zkLLVM, RISC Zero, and SP1, acknowledges limitations such as hardware manufacturer trust and side-channel attacks, and asks ZK and compiler engineers to stress-test the architecture.