Vitalik Buterin Targets Ethereum’s Core Bottlenecks with Bold Overhaul

Vitalik Buterin is shifting the Ethereum scaling conversation away from Layer 2 (L2) and back to the protocols core. The Russo-Canadian innovator argues that Ethereums biggest long-term constraints are not rollups or blob capacity, but deeper architectural bottlenecks inside the networks state tree and virtual machine. Vitalik Buterin Proposes Deep Ethereum Overhaul Targeting State Tree and Virtual Machine Bottlenecks According to Buterin, two components the networks state tree and virtual machine account for more than 80% of the proving costs. This, he says, is a critical issue as zero-knowledge (ZK) technology becomes central to Ethereums roadmap. Today Ill focus on two big things: state tree changes, and VM changes, Buterin wrote, adding that both are the big bottlenecks that we have to address if we want efficient proving. A Binary Tree Overhaul At the heart of the proposal is EIP-7864, which would replace Ethereums current hexary Merkle Patricia tree with a binary tree design. The change may sound subtle, but its implications are significant. Binary trees would produce Merkle proofs roughly 4 times shorter than the current structure, dramatically reducing verification bandwidth requirements. That makes lightweight clients and privacy-preserving applications cheaper and more viable. The new structure would also group storage slots into pages, allowing applications that load related data to do so more efficiently. Many decentralized applications (dApps) repeatedly access adjacent storage slots. This means the upgrade could save more than 10,000 gas per transaction in some cases. Buterin also suggested pairing the tree change with more efficient hash functions, potentially delivering further gains in proof generation speed. More importantly, the redesign would make Ethereums base layer more prover-friendly, allowing ZK applications to integrate directly with Ethereums state instead of building parallel systems. Zooming out, the binary tree proposal aims to consolidate a decade of lessons on state management into a cleaner, future-proof structure. A Future Beyond the EVM? Even more ambitious is Buterins long-term vision for Ethereums execution engine. He floated the idea of eventually moving beyond the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) toward a RISC-Vbased architecture. RISC-V is a widely used open instruction set that could offer greater efficiency and simplicity. Buterin argued that Ethereums increasing reliance on special-case precompiles reflects a deeper discomfort with the EVM itself. If Ethereums core promise is general-purpose programmability, he suggested, then the VM should fully support that vision without excessive workarounds. A RISC-V-based VM could: Reduce complexity Improve raw execution efficiency, and Better align with modern zero-knowledge proving systems, many of which already use RISC-V environments internally. In the near term, Buterin proposed a vectorized math precompile, described as a GPU for the EVM. This could significantly accelerate cryptographic operations. Longer term, he outlined a phased transition in which RISC-V would first power precompiles, then support user-deployed contracts, and eventually absorb the EVM itself as a compatibility layer. Debate Over Complexity However, not everyone is convinced Ethereum needs more deep-layer changes. Analyst DBCrypto criticized what he described as growing abstraction across the Ethereum roadmap, including new frameworks aimed at addressing rollup fragmentation. Each additional layer, he argued, increases complexity, introduces trust assumptions, and creates additional potential attack surfaces. Ethereum just proposed a new layer to fix the mess created by all the poor choices the past few yearsThe "Open Intents Framework" is the Ethereum Foundation's answer to L2 fragmentationA universal standard for calculating paths between rollups so users can actually move DBCrypto (@DBCrypt0) March 1, 2026 The tension reflects a broader debate over whether Ethereum should continue layering solutions on top of its existing design or rework its foundation. However, according to Vitalik Buterin, Ethereums architecture must evolve and adapt as zero-knowledge proofs move from a niche to a necessity. The next phase of scaling, he suggests, may not occur on Layer 2 but rather deep within Ethereums core.