Ethereum's co-founder proposes a shift to a binary state tree and a new virtual machine, aiming to address technical limitations.
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has proposed significant updates for the network's execution layer, including a transition to a binary state tree and a potential replacement of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Buterin noted, "These are ‘deep’ changes that many shy away from, considering an incremental approach more ‘pragmatic.’"
He emphasized that the current state tree and virtual machine represent over 80% of Ethereum's technical limitations, making these changes crucial for enhancing client scenarios that utilize proofs.
Transition to Binary State Tree
Buterin's proposal involves adopting the EIP-7864 initiative, which aims to replace the existing hexadecimal Merkle-Patricia tree with a more efficient binary tree structure. This change is expected to significantly reduce Merkle branches, thus lowering data requirements for lightweight clients like Helios. The proposed switch to a hash function such as Blake3 or a Poseidon variant could enhance proof efficiency by a factor of three to 100, although Buterin noted that further security auditing would be necessary for Poseidon.
This initiative builds upon earlier discussions regarding Verkle Trees and revives interest in binary structures, particularly in light of concerns about the vulnerability of current cryptographic methods to quantum computing.
Replacement of the EVM
Additionally, Buterin has suggested replacing the EVM with RISC-V, an open instruction set architecture already in use by many zero-knowledge (ZK) provers. He outlined a phased approach for this transition:
- Implement RISC-V for precompiled contracts only.
- Enable users to deploy contracts on the new architecture.
- Fully phase out the old EVM, converting it into a smart contract operating on the new virtual machine.
Buterin stated, "If the EVM is not good enough for its implementation, we must address the issue directly and create a better virtual machine."
Despite these ambitious proposals, there has been pushback. In late 2025, researchers from Offchain Labs argued that WebAssembly (WASM) may be a more suitable long-term alternative for Ethereum's development.
AI and Development Acceleration
Buterin also mentioned that advancements in artificial intelligence could expedite the implementation of Ethereum's roadmap. He referenced a recent experiment where a developer created a reference implementation of the roadmap in just weeks, noting that while this approach could speed up development, it might also introduce critical bugs and incomplete versions of features.
He remarked, "Six months ago, even such results were unattainable, so now the trend direction is what matters most."
Buterin believes that leveraging neural networks could ultimately enhance security alongside development speed, suggesting the generation of additional test scenarios and formal verification as potential solutions.
