Vitalik Buterin has reiterated his vision for a simplified architecture for Ethereum, aiming to enhance its scalability, security, and decentralisation. In his recent blog post dated May 3, he advocates for significant reductions in the protocol’s complexity. His proposal seeks to align Ethereum’s structural clarity with models exemplified by Bitcoin over the next five years.
Buterin’s new framework suggests adopting a “3-slot finality” model. This would eliminate the need for complicated consensus mechanisms such as sync committees, epoch structures, and validator shuffling. By streamlining these processes, the path to achieving chain finality becomes cleaner and faster, potentially reducing bugs and the strain of overhead in protocol implementation. He believes that this approach—focusing on simplicity—could improve long-term efficiency and sustainability.
One compelling argument Buterin presents is the inherent beauty of Bitcoin’s simplicity, which he views as a hallmark of effective protocol design. He explains that Ethereum’s growing complexity has arisen in part due to advanced upgrades like zk-SNARKs and zkEVMs, technologies that remain obscure to many and have led to significant costs in development and increased security risks.
Buterin notes a cultural consequence of this complexity: it has fostered a somewhat insular R&D environment, sometimes driven by misguided aspirations that do not lead to tangible benefits. He has acknowledged that Ethereum’s push for complex technological advancements has not translated into practical improvements, which might explain why it has lagged behind emerging networks such as Sui Network, Aptos, and Solana.
### Potential Shift from EVM
Adding to the discourse is Buterin’s recent suggestion to replace the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V, an open-source instruction set architecture. He posits that RISC-V could significantly enhance performance, potentially improving zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) capabilities by as much as 100 times. Furthermore, the Ethereum development team is also working on a reformed fee structure designed to encourage participation from smaller projects, which could bolster the ecosystem.
Buterin’s call for simplification reflects a broader desire within the Ethereum community to streamline processes and make the network more accessible, ultimately fostering innovation and encouraging more developers to engage with the platform. His vision underscores the necessity of evolution in the face of competition, ensuring Ethereum retains a leading position in the ever-changing landscape of blockchain technology.
In summary, Vitalik Buterin champions a restructuring of Ethereum aimed at simplifying its architecture to prevent bloated development processes and to efficiently meet the demands of scalability and security. This evolution could redefine how Ethereum operates, potentially maintaining its competitive edge in a rapidly advancing technological environment.
