Ethereum is changing its development strategy to make the network faster and easier to use. This shift follows recent leadership changes and aims to improve both short-term usability and long-term scalability.
A New Role for Vitalik Buterin
The Ethereum Foundation wants to give Vitalik Buterin more time for advanced research instead of day-to-day management. His ideas on things like RISC-V and zero-knowledge proofs (zkVMs) are guiding the community towards long-term goals like better privacy, modularity, and decentralized infrastructure. Buterin’s suggestions are seen as starting points for discussion, not orders. Other researchers are also getting more freedom to explore new ideas.
Improving Ethereum’s Performance
The Foundation’s research is now focused on delivering quicker results, including:
- Better Layer-1 scaling: Making the main Ethereum network faster.
- Enhanced Layer-2 integration: Improving how other networks work with Ethereum.
- Seamless user experience: Making it easier for everyone to use Ethereum.
Upcoming upgrades like Pectra, Fusaka, and Glamsterdam will reflect these improvements.
Exploring RISC-V
Ethereum is looking into switching from its current execution environment (the EVM) to RISC-V. This could speed things up, make zero-knowledge proofs easier, and allow developers to use more programming languages (like Rust, in addition to Solidity and Vyper). It might also boost validator performance. The goal is to bring forward technologies that are currently years away.
Community Input is Key
The Ethereum Foundation emphasizes the importance of community involvement throughout this process. They encourage everyone to participate in discussions and contribute to the development of Ethereum.