$ETH Vitalik Wants To Speed Up Ethereum By 100x, Make it as 'Simple as Bitcoin'

The proposed shift in architecture could simplify Ethereum while enhancing its zero-knowledge capabilities.

By Vince Dioquino

2 min read

May 5, 2025

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed replacing Ethereum's Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V, aiming to boost the chain's performance while making it simpler in the process.

Buterin, in a May 3 blog post, claimed that through the proposed changes, Ethereum could "become close to as simple as Bitcoin" within five years.

"One of the best things about Bitcoin is how beautifully simple the protocol is," Buterin wrote, describing how Bitcoin transactions and proofs work.

Keeping the protocol simple brings benefits that are key to making it "a credibly neutral and globally trusted base layer," Buterin wrote.