{"id":128515,"date":"2025-05-03T09:17:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T09:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/?p=128515"},"modified":"2025-05-03T09:17:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T09:17:38","slug":"vitalik-wants-to-make-ethereum-as-simple-as-bitcoin-in-5-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/?p=128515","title":{"rendered":"Vitalik wants to make Ethereum \u2018as simple as Bitcoin\u2019 in 5 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: Cointelegraph.com NewsEthereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin called for simplifying Ethereum\u2019s base protocol, aiming to make the network more efficient, secure and accessible, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin\u2019s minimalist design.
\nIn a blog post titled \u201cSimplifying the L1,\u201d published on May 3, Buterin laid out a vision to restructure Ethereum\u2019s architecture across consensus, execution and shared components.
\n\u201cThis post will describe how Ethereum 5 years from now can become close to as simple as Bitcoin,\u201d Buterin wrote, arguing that simplicity is key to Ethereum\u2019s resilience and long-term scalability.
\nWhile recent upgrades like proof-of-stake (PoS) and Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) integration have made Ethereum more robust, he said that technical complexity has led to bloated development cycles, higher costs and greater risks of bugs:
\n\u201cHistorically, Ethereum has often not done this (sometimes because of my own decisions), and this has contributed to much of our excessive development expenditure, all\u00a0kinds\u00a0of\u00a0security\u00a0risk, and insularity of R&D culture, often in pursuit of benefits that have proven illusory.\u201d
\nButerin praises Bitcoin for its simplicity. Source: Vitalik ButerinRelated: \u2018Vitalik: An Ethereum Story\u2019 is less about crypto and more about being human
\nEthereum eyes \u201c3-Slot Finality\u201d to simplify consensus
\nOne key area of focus is Ethereum\u2019s consensus layer. Central to this effort is the proposed \u201c3-slot finality\u201d model, which eliminates complex components like epochs, sync committees and validator shuffling.
\n\u201cThe\u00a0reduced number of active validators at a time\u00a0means that it becomes safer to use simpler implementations of the fork choice rule,\u201d Buterin wrote.
\nOther proposed improvements include allowing for more straightforward fork choice rules and adopting Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (STARK)-based aggregation protocols to decentralize and simplify network coordination.
\nOn the execution layer, Buterin proposed a shift from the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to a simpler, ZK-friendly virtual machine like RISC-V. This move could offer 100x performance improvements for zero-knowledge proofs and significantly simplify the protocol.
\nRISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) used in designing computer processors. It follows a minimalist design philosophy, using a small set of simple instructions for high efficiency and easier implementation.
\nTo preserve backward compatibility, Buterin suggested running legacy EVM contracts onchain via a RISC-V interpreter while supporting both VMs concurrently during a transitional phase.
\nSource: Vitalik ButerinRelated: Ethereum community members propose new fee structure for the app layer
\nButerin calls for protocol-wide standards
\nButerin also advocated for protocol-wide standardization. He suggested adopting a single erasure coding method, serialization format (favoring SSZ), and tree structure to reduce redundant complexity and streamline Ethereum\u2019s tooling and infrastructure.
\n\u201cSimplicity is in many ways similar to decentralization,\u201d Buterin wrote. He suggested Ethereum adopt a \u201cmax line-of-code\u201d target similar to what Tinygrad does, keeping consensus-critical logic as lean and auditable as possible.
\nNon-critical legacy features would remain but reside outside the core specification.
\nButerin\u2019s proposal aimed at simplifying Ethereum comes as the network continues to lose market share to competing blockchains.
\nDuring a panel discussion at the LONGITUDE by Cointelegraph event on May 2, Alex Svanevik, CEO of data service Nansen, said Ethereum\u2019s relative dominance among L1 blockchain networks has declined.
\n\u201cIf you\u2019d asked me 3\u20134 years ago whether Ethereum would dominate crypto, I\u2019d have said yes,\u201d Svanevik said during a panel discussion at the LONGITUDE by Cointelegraph event. \u201cBut now, it\u2019s clear that\u2019s not what\u2019s happening.\u201d
\nMagazine:\u00a0ZK-proofs are bringing smart contracts to Bitcoin \u2014 BitcoinOS and StarknetRead More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: Cointelegraph.com NewsEthereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin called for simplifying Ethereum\u2019s base protocol, aiming to make the network more efficient, secure and accessible, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin\u2019s minimalist design. In a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128515"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=128515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128515\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}