Vitalik Buterin’s Big Comeback

Vitalik Buterin, the genius behind Ethereum (ETH), is back at it again! This time, he’s bringing some serious fixes to the decentralized network’s ongoing dramas. Just when you thought it was all doom and gloom, the price of Ethereum has bounced back with an impressive surge of over 8% since the start of the year. Talk about a comeback!

New Solutions on the Horizon

As the ETH price climbs above $3,220, Buterin has shed some light on the revolutionary upgrades in the pipeline. He’s introduced the concept of Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (zkEVMs), which are now at an alpha stage. That’s right, they’re almost ready for the big leagues! Meanwhile, Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS) is already strutting its stuff on the mainnet, laying down the groundwork for Ethereum’s next-gen infrastructure.

Transforming Ethereum Like Never Before

Buterin isn’t just slapping on some cosmetic changes; these upgrades are set to completely transform ETH into a powerhouse of decentralization, security, and speed. He’s drawn comparisons between Ethereum’s evolution and those vintage peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent and Bitcoin. BitTorrent had bandwidth galore but faltered on consensus, while Bitcoin hit consensus but left bandwidth in the dust. It’s like trying to choose between pizza and tacos – both great, but lacking something!

A Milestone Achieved

With the unveiling of PeerDAS and zkEVMs, Buterin claims ETH has cracked the code for complete decentralization and consensus with impressive bandwidth. He’s dubbed this breakthrough as solving the blockchain “trilemma” with actual working code! It’s hard to believe that these developments stem from a decade’s worth of hard work dating back to the early days of sampling data availability and kicking off zkEVM development back in 2020.

What’s Next? Buckle Up!

Looking ahead, Buterin is buzzing about the exciting plans for the next four years. By 2026, he promises gas limits will see a boost, thanks to Block-Level Access Lists (BALs) and Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS). The zkEVM nodes will be dancing around segments of the network, ensuring a smoother ride for all. Between 2026 and 2028, Ethereum will also tweak gas pricing, revamp its state, and integrate execution payloads into blobs – all to accommodate those higher limits!

Future-Proofing Ethereum

Fast forward to 2027-2030, and zkEVMs are expected to lead the charge in block validation, paving the way for massive increases in gas limits. Buterin believes these upgrades will finally solve that old riddle where you can only have two out of three things: decentralization, security, and speed. But with these latest moves, ETH is packing all three like a snack-loving superhero!

The Vision for Distributed Block Building

In his latest post, Buterin has also hinted at groundbreaking aspirations in distributed block building. He imagines a future where no full block is ever build in one place – how wild is that? While this isn’t an urgent priority, he understands the importance of laying the foundation for future infrastructure. He insists that block-building authority should be as decentralized as possible, which can be achieved in two ways: by expanding Fork Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) within the protocol or through external distributed builder marketplaces. This way, we can steer clear of centralized influences in transaction inclusion and promote geographical fairness across the Ethereum landscape.