Ten years ago, the Ethereum blockchain was born, and the mining of the genesis block brought new possibilities to the internet, initiating a transformative journey in finance, ownership, and programmability. Today, Ethereum has become an indispensable infrastructure for WEB3, supporting the prosperity of almost the entire ecosystem from DEFI, NFT to LAYER 2, MEME, and AI.
On the occasion of celebrating Ethereum's tenth anniversary, a brand new vision—Lean Ethereum—has been unveiled, which will lead Ethereum into the next decade, promising a perfect combination of extreme performance, security, and decentralization.
Ethereum's 'Fortress Mode' and 'Beast Mode'
Since its inception, Ethereum has maintained a 100% uptime, boasting unparalleled client diversity, and has built a robust economic security system with 35.7 million ETH staked (worth approximately $130 billion), expected to reach $1 trillion in the future, becoming the cornerstone of the value internet, ensuring it remains online regardless of regulatory scrutiny from nation-states or threats from quantum computers, which is Ethereum's 'Fortress Mode'.
At the same time, Ethereum is full of developmental ambition, with 'Expanding L1, Expanding Blob' as the strategic focus of the Ethereum Foundation (EF) protocol cluster. Significant performance improvements are expected in the next 6 to 12 months. In the long term, L1 aims for an ambitious vertical scaling of 1 Gigagas/second (approximately 10K TPS), while L2 will reach a massive horizontal scaling of 1 Teagas/second (1M TPS), which is Ethereum's 'Beast Mode'.
Lean Upgrade: Reshaping the Ethereum Architecture
Lean Ethereum proposes bold upgrades to three sub-layers of L1:
Lean Consensus (Beacon Chain 2.0): Enhanced security and decentralization, capable of achieving finality in seconds, previously known as 'Beam Chain'. It will provide stronger consensus assurance for the Ethereum network, ensuring stable operation.
Lean Data (Blob 2.0): Utilizing post-quantum blobs, combined with granular blob sizes, providing developers with a calldata-like experience, optimizing data storage and processing methods, enhancing performance and security at the data layer.
Lean Execution (EVM 2.0): Adopting the smallest, SNARK-friendly instruction set (possibly RISC-V), improving execution efficiency while maintaining EVM compatibility and its powerful network effects, allowing smart contracts and other applications to run faster and more efficiently.
By reimagining the consensus layer, data layer, and execution layer, Ethereum will unlock 'Fortress Mode' and 'Beast Mode', achieving significant performance improvements under the constraints of non-negotiable continuity, maximum hardness, and simplicity.
Lean Cryptography: Addressing Quantum Threats and Technological Trends
Hash-based cryptographic technology will serve as an ideal foundation for Lean Ethereum, effectively addressing the explosive growth of SNARK and imminent quantum threats. For example, in the Consensus Layer (CL), hash-based aggregate signatures will upgrade BLS signatures; in the Data Layer (DL), hash-based DAS commitments will upgrade KZG commitments; in the Execution Layer (EL), hash-based real-time zkVM will upgrade EVM re-execution. Hash functions will serve as the leanest cryptographic bricks, safeguarding Ethereum's security and performance.
Lean Craftsmanship: A Technical Aesthetic
Lean Ethereum is not just a technical upgrade blueprint, but also an aesthetic and craftsmanship approach. It pursues minimalism and modularity, emphasizes encapsulating complexity, and achieves provable security and optimality through formal verification. This is not just an enhancement on the technical level, but also aims to create Ethereum as a refined, efficient, and reliable blockchain platform, akin to the works of sushi master Jiro, where every detail embodies craftsmanship.
The tenth anniversary of Ethereum is an important milestone, while Lean Ethereum represents a new starting point. In the future, Ethereum will advance towards higher performance, greater security, and more decentralization under the guidance of Lean Ethereum, continuing to lead the development of blockchain technology and bringing more possibilities and surprises to global users. Let us look forward to the impressive performance of Ethereum in the next decade!
