Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has proposed a transformation of the blockchain's architecture. He suggests replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine with RISC-V to address existing bottlenecks in performance.
Ambitious Proposal
In April 2025, Vitalik Buterin presented a proposal to change Ethereum's architecture by replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V, a standard instruction architecture used in modern processors. Buterin highlighted the need to address significant constraints within the current system that inhibit scalability and increase verification costs.
Efficiency and Verifiability
According to Buterin, a key motivation for replacing EVMs is to significantly enhance performance and simplify the verifiability of execution using the zk-SNARK cryptographic protocol. He pointed out that the complex logic and numerous additional instructions of the EVM make it 'the weak link' in terms of efficiency for ZK applications.
Transition Challenges
Buterin's proposal has sparked active discussions among Ethereum developers, who expressed concerns about potential performance issues on existing architectures. They emphasized that transitioning to RISC-V may require significant changes, necessitating years of work and community consensus. Buterin himself stressed that this is not merely a technical adjustment but an effort to fundamentally rethink the implementation of the execution layer.
The idea of moving to RISC-V represents an ambitious step for Ethereum, promising increased efficiency and simplified processing of zero-disclosure evidence. However, the realization of such a transition is fraught with complex engineering and strategic issues that require public discourse.
