Vitalik Buterin’s simplification plan for Ethereum L1 aims to reduce protocol complexity and improve scalability, security, and long-term resilience.
Buterin advocates replacing Ethereum’s EVM with RISC-V to simplify execution, improve performance by 100x, and cut down unnecessary precompiles.
By standardizing erasure codes, serialization, and tree structures, Buterin’s plan ensures a unified, streamlined Ethereum architecture for improved efficiency.
Vitalik Buterin has proposed a multi-year roadmap for streamlining Ethereum’s L1 protocol towards making its design less complicated and more similar to that of Bitcoin. The roadmap aims to minimize development overhead, constrain security threats, and simplify the protocol for better long-term resilience.
https://twitter.com/WuBlockchain/status/1918561855326568488
Simplifying the L1 for Long-Term Stability
Buterin emphasized that Ethereum’s current complexity increases maintenance costs and security risks. He proposed a maximum code line limit for consensus-critical components to simplify reasoning about the protocol and lower the barrier for developers and researchers.
Drawing inspiration from Bitcoin’s straightforward structure, Buterin highlighted how simplicity allows broader participation and limits centralization of knowledge. He pointed out that Ethereum's past design decisions led to unnecessary features and bloated code, which now require costly maintenance without offering matching utility.
Reducing Consensus and Execution Complexity
The proposed 3-slot finality system for Ethereum’s consensus layer replaces several complex mechanisms like epochs and sync committees with a cleaner design. It reduces the validator load and simplifies the fork choice rule, while retaining robust security features. This structure can be implemented with about 200 lines of code, making it far easier to maintain.
On the execution side, Buterin suggests replacing the EVM with a minimal virtual machine such as RISC-V. This would cut execution overhead, reduce reliance on precompiles, and simplify the protocol's specification. Existing EVM contracts would remain usable via an on-chain RISC-V interpreter, preserving backward compatibility while removing execution logic from the consensus layer.
Shared Infrastructure for a Leaner Ethereum
To support the simplification strategy, Buterin advocates standardizing core components. He proposes using a single erasure code for data availability, storage, and P2P transmission, minimizing redundant code and improving system cohesion.
Additionally, he calls for adopting SSZ as a universal serialization format across all Ethereum layers. This change would reduce developer tooling complexity and improve contract interactions. A transition to a unified binary tree for both execution and consensus states would further streamline Ethereum’s architecture.
Buterin’s approach marks a cultural shift towards simplicity as a resilience strategy, focusing on removing systemic complexity and retaining only what is essential.
The post Vitalik Buterin Proposes Simplifying Ethereum’s L1 for Long-Term Resilience appears on Crypto Front News. Visit our website to read more interesting articles about cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and digital assets.
