Glossary
EIP-7212 (secp256r1 Precompile)
An Ethereum proposal for a precompiled contract that verifies secp256r1 (P-256) signatures cheaply — the curve passkeys and WebAuthn use natively.
Ethereum's native signature scheme is ECDSA over secp256k1. Passkeys, FIDO2, WebAuthn, and Apple/Google Secure Enclaves all use secp256r1 (also called P-256), a different curve. Verifying P-256 signatures in pure Solidity costs hundreds of thousands of gas per signature.
EIP-7212 adds a precompile that verifies P-256 signatures in a few thousand gas. The result: smart-contract wallets can use passkeys as signers at production cost. Many L2s (RIP-7212 variant on Polygon zkEVM, zkSync, Optimism Superchain) have already deployed the precompile ahead of L1.