Ethereum’s Path to Simplicity: Vitalik Buterin’s Vision for a Streamlined Blockchain

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin believes that the blockchain’s long-term resilience and scalability hinge on making it simple, like Bitcoin. In a recent blog post on May 3, he outlined his vision for Ethereum to become as simple as Bitcoin within the next five years.

The Beauty of Bitcoin’s Simplicity

Buterin praised Bitcoin for its beautifully simple protocol that is accessible even to high-school students. He emphasized that simplicity not only makes the protocol easy to understand but also reduces costs associated with infrastructure development and maintenance, as well as lowers the risk of bugs.

Simplification of the Ethereum Consensus Layer

Buterin discussed the upcoming ‘Beam Chain’ upgrade proposed by Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake. He highlighted the potential for the Beam Chain to be much simpler than the current beacon chain due to the implementation of 3-slot finality redesign and STARK-based aggregation protocols. These changes aim to reduce complexity, enhance safety, and improve the robustness of Ethereum’s consensus layer.

Simplification of the Ethereum Execution Layer

Buterin also proposed replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) contract language with RISC-V to boost efficiency and simplicity. He outlined a phased approach to transition to RISC-V, ensuring backward compatibility for existing applications while reducing complexity in the execution layer.

Protocol-wide Standards for Simplification

Buterin suggested adopting one standard across different parts of the Ethereum stack to simplify operations and reduce code complexity. He proposed using a single erasure code for data availability sampling, P2P broadcasting, and distributed history storage, as well as implementing a shared serialization format using SSZ.

A Change in Ethos

Buterin called for a shift in Ethereum’s ethos towards simplicity, advocating for a maximum line of code target and a preference for encapsulated complexity over systemic complexity. He emphasized the importance of keeping consensus-critical code as simple as Bitcoin while maintaining historical rule processing outside of the critical code.

Ethereum is poised for a transformation towards simplicity, guided by Vitalik Buterin’s vision for a streamlined and efficient blockchain. By embracing simplicity and standardization, Ethereum aims to enhance its scalability, security, and accessibility in the years to come.