Why did Kaspa choose ECDSA as the baseline for ZK proof fee pricing?

Kaspa chose ECDSA signature verification as the cost baseline for ZK proof fees because it is a well-understood operation already built into Kaspa's fee structure. Computing a theoretical upper bound for bilinear pairings (used in Groth16) or for FRI protocol execution and Merkle tree queries (used in STARKs) would require significant independent research. ECDSA, by contrast, is already familiar to node operators and priced into the existing system — making it a stable anchor. By measuring how much slower new proof types are relative to ECDSA, the fee model stays grounded in real hardware costs rather than abstract math. This matters to users because it means ZK-proof transaction fees are derived from something Kaspa's network already understands and accepts.