Ethereum May Switch to RISC-V: Vitalik Buterin’s Vision for Future Scalability

As blockchain technology continues to develop, scalability and efficiency are still top of mind for its future. In a major proposal, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed replacing the existing Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V, an open-source processor architecture. In Buterin's view, this change could significantly improve Ethereum's performance and future-proof it.

EVM: The Bottleneck in Ethereum's Execution Layer

Buterin contends that the biggest holdup in Ethereum's attempts at scaling is in its execution layer, which is dependent on EVM. "The execution layer is currently the bottleneck for Ethereum scaling, and the EVM is a key part of it," he said. Swapping out EVM with a more efficient one like RISC-V would make development easier and dramatically improve performance.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs and the Case for RISC-V

Ethereum uses Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK-Proofs) to validate transactions efficiently. However, proving computations in the EVM format requires translating it to RISC-V first, which slows things down. Buterin believes that directly allowing smart contracts and provers to use RISC-V could make the process up to 100 times faster.

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What is RISC-V and Why It Matters

RISC-V is a modular, simplified, and open-source processor instruction set architecture. It is easily customizable and has high speed optimization. With a move to RISC-V, smart contracts would execute more optimally, and developers would experience easier coding and upgrades. Such a move can result in unprecedented improvements in the speed of execution and development experience.

What Happens to Existing Smart Contracts?

Buterin explained that current smart contracts on Ethereum would continue to work perfectly. The RISC-V migration would be backwards-compatible, and developers would not need to drop Solidity. New code, however, would be compiled for RISC-V instead of the legacy EVM format.

Ethereum Pectra Upgrade Coming Soon

In contrast, Ethereum has scheduled the launch of the Pectra Upgrade on May 7, 2025, aimed at rollup enhancements, user experience, and validator stake limits. With recent price drops in ETH, the upgrade could possibly boost investors' mood. The RISC-V migration, however, is a long-term vision that will take time to accomplish.