Summary
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Buterin Proposes Radical RISC-V Shift: Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested replacing the core Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V architecture (potentially by April 2025) as a “radical step” to significantly improve execution layer performance, address scaling bottlenecks, and keep Ethereum competitive against faster blockchains.
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Economic Pressures Mount: The proposal coincides with Ethereum facing dire economic challenges, including collapsing base-layer transaction fees (lowest since 2020) and plummeting Layer 2 “blob” fees, largely attributed to users migrating to cheaper L2 solutions, raising concerns about the base layer’s revenue being “cannibalized.”
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Community Divided on Risks vs. Rewards: The RISC-V concept has generated debate within the Ethereum community; supporters see it as a bold move for future-proofing, while critics worry about the immense development effort, required resources, potential risks (new vulnerabilities), and significant backward compatibility challenges for existing smart contracts.
Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin has introduced a potentially transformative concept for the network’s underlying structure.
His proposal involves transitioning away from Ethereum’s existing processing engine, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and adopting architectures based on the RISC-V instruction set, possibly around April 2025.
RISC-V is recognized as an open-standard, royalty-free processor framework valued for its adaptability and operational efficiency.
Buterin posits that integrating RISC-V could substantially boost the performance of Ethereum’s core transaction execution layer.
He argues this type of significant overhaul might be necessary for meaningful improvement, referencing other promising but distinct efforts like the “beam chain initiative” aimed at simplifying the network’s consensus layer.
Buterin indicated that several existing limitations impede Ethereum’s progress, pointing to need for improved data availability sampling techniques, fostering greater competition among block builders, and advancements in zero-knowledge (ZK) proving technologies – crucial tools for faster, cheaper, and more private transactions.
He suggested that only profound changes (“radical steps”) might allow the execution layer to achieve improvements comparable to those sought for other network components, thereby ensuring Ethereum’s continued competitiveness.
This suggestion implies that incremental scaling solutions might be insufficient and a more foundational reworking is needed for Ethereum to effectively navigate the next phase of blockchain evolution.
Ethereum Faces Economic Headwinds as Network Fees Plummet
This architectural proposal arrives as Ethereum confronts growing economic difficulties.
A primary revenue source for the network, transaction fees, has recently dropped to levels not seen in several years.
Data indicates that average transaction fees on the Ethereum mainnet were around $0.16 in April 2025, the lowest point since 2020.
Furthermore, fees generated specifically by Layer 2 solutions using Ethereum’s data ‘blobs’ have collapsed dramatically.
In the last week of March, these blob fees reportedly totaled just 3.18 ETH (approximately $5,000), representing a precipitous 95% fall compared to mid-March levels.
Analysts attribute this decline less to broad economic factors and more to user behavior shifting away from direct interaction with the Ethereum base layer.
Instead, users increasingly favor Layer 2 networks like Arbitrum and Optimism, which offer significantly lower costs and faster transaction finality.
Community Deliberates Over Buterin’s RISC-V Vision
Vitalik Buterin’s suggestion to adopt RISC-V has sparked significant discussion within the Ethereum development community.
Some view it as an ambitious and necessary step to maintain Ethereum’s long-term viability and competitiveness against newer, high-performance blockchains like Solana and Sui.
Proponents believe that embracing RISC-V could modernize Ethereum significantly.
Conversely, considerable apprehension exists regarding the sheer scale and inherent risks of overhauling the execution layer so fundamentally.
Critics highlight that such a project would essentially involve rebuilding critical parts of Ethereum, a process likely demanding years of development, substantial resources, and potentially introducing new security vulnerabilities.
Also Read: Vitalik Buterin Highlights Importance of Social Philosophy for Ethereum Applications
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