Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced plans for changes that will be implemented over the next 3-4 years and will become the "third major iteration of Ethereum" after The Merge.
The new architecture will affect almost all major components of the protocol. In particular, the network will:
- switch to block verification using recursive STARK proofs;
- replace cryptographic algorithms vulnerable to quantum computers;
- update the consensus mechanism;
- introduce a multidimensional fee model (multidimensional gas);
- overhaul the client architecture and the state storage system.
One of the main changes is the increased priority of quantum resistance. Previously, protection against potential attacks from quantum computers was considered a long-term task, but now it has become one of the key development areas. In particular, work on quantum-resistant cryptography and a new BLOB data format will accelerate.
Another priority will be privacy. Buterin stated that it is no longer considered an additional feature and is now taken into account when designing all new network components, from the mempool to data storage mechanisms. Developers also plan to expand the use of formal verification to enhance protocol security and simplify the verification of its components.
Buterin called the update of the data storage model the most radical change. Instead of further scaling the existing network state, developers propose to preserve it for complex applications while simultaneously adding new, more scalable storage types for tokens, NFTs, and most DeFi applications. According to Buterin's estimate, by 2030 Ethereum will be able to simultaneously support about 2 TB of traditional state and up to 100 TB of the new, optimized format.
Additionally, the team is considering a gradual transition to a new virtual machine. In the future, the protocol may abandon direct dependence on the EVM in favor of RISC-V or leanISA architectures, maintaining compatibility of existing applications through a compilation layer.
Buterin also said that in the coming years, the network will continue to gradually increase the gas limit, the volume of BLOB data, and reduce the time between slots. According to him, each such change will be implemented only after developers are confident in its safety thanks to client software optimization and protocol updates.