Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed significant changes to streamline Ethereum’s base layer (Layer 1).
In a blog post on May 3rd titled “Simplifying the L1,” Buterin outlined a plan to make the network more efficient, secure, and accessible over the next five years, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin’s simpler design.
This focus marks a potential shift from Ethereum’s previous tendency toward complex technical solutions.
The proposal targets Ethereum’s consensus mechanisms, execution layer, and technical standards.
Addressing Network Complexity
Buterin acknowledges that while Ethereum has advanced with innovations like Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and zk-SNARK integration, these developments have increased complexity.
He argues this has led to longer development times, higher costs, and potential security risks.
Buterin stated, “Historically, Ethereum has often not done this [kept things simple], sometimes because of my own decisions,” attributing this to “excessive development expenditure, all kinds of security risk, and insularity of R&D culture.”
He suggested Ethereum can become simpler and more resilient without losing core functions, noting that simpler code is easier to audit and maintain, aligning with decentralization.
Proposed Changes to Consensus and Execution
Buterin’s proposal includes simplifying the consensus layer.
One suggestion involves “3-slot finality” to remove complex features like epochs, sync committees, and validator shuffling, aiming to reduce overhead while maintaining security.
“The reduced number of active validators at a time means that it becomes safer to use simpler implementations of the fork choice rule,” Buterin explained.
He also proposed using STARK-based aggregation protocols to further streamline consensus and improve scalability, citing STARKs as a transparent and scalable cryptographic alternative.
For the execution layer, Buterin suggested replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with a more efficient, zero-knowledge-friendly alternative like RISC-V.
He claims this change could improve the performance of generating zero-knowledge proofs significantly, which aids privacy and scalability.
Buterin suggested supporting existing EVM contracts via an RISC-V interpreter during a transition period to ensure backward compatibility.
Standardization for a Leaner Protocol
Protocol-wide standardization is another part of Buterin’s plan.
He proposed using single methods for erasure coding, a standard serialization format (favoring SSZ), and a unified tree structure to reduce redundancy in tooling and infrastructure.
Referencing the Tinygrad development approach, he suggested a “max line-of-code” standard for consensus-critical logic to keep it concise and auditable.
To maintain the core’s leanness and support existing applications, we would move non-essential legacy features outside the core protocol specification.
Competitive Landscape Context
Buterin’s proposal comes as Ethereum faces competition from other Layer 1 blockchains.
At a recent panel (May 2nd), Nansen CEO Alex Svanevik commented on Ethereum’s market position, stating, “If you’d asked me 3–4 years ago whether Ethereum would dominate crypto, I’d have said yes… But now, it’s clear that’s not what’s happening.”
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