Ethereum's Future: Vitalik Buterin Proposes RISC-V for Enhanced Efficiency
Summary
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has proposed replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine’s (EVM) current contract language with the RISC-V instruction set architecture to improve the speed and efficiency of Ethereum's execution layer.
Key Highlights from the Proposal (Dated April 20):
The proposed shift to RISC-V aims to address long-term scaling challenges, such as:
Stable data availability sampling.
Sustaining competitive block production markets.
Enhancing zero-knowledge EVM (zkEVM) proving efficiency.
Buterin believes this move could result in up to 100x efficiency gains in the execution layer.
Rationale Behind the Proposal:
While the "beam chain" initiative has shown promise in streamlining Ethereum’s consensus layer, Buterin argues that a more radical change like adopting RISC-V may be necessary for similar improvements in the execution layer.
The transition could help Ethereum compete with newer, high-throughput blockchains like Solana and Sui.
Current State of Ethereum Network:
Network fees have dropped significantly.
Blob fees (from layer-2 solutions) hit a low of 3.18 ETH (~$5,000) during the week of March 30.
Average transaction fees in April 2025 fell to $0.16, the lowest since 2020.
Reasons for Fee Decline:
A shift in user behavior — more users are utilizing smart contracts and layer-2 solutions rather than the Ethereum base layer.
Brian Quinlivan from Santiment attributes this trend to reduced direct base layer usage.
Market Implications:
While layer-2 networks help reduce costs, they also reduce revenue for Ethereum’s base layer.
Concerns are growing over Ethereum’s declining market share and revenue, with Ether’s price nearing historic lows.
Analysts warn that if investor confidence continues to erode, Ether could fall further, possibly reaching $1,100.
