Vitalik Buterin has published a new, consolidated roadmap for Ethereum’s scaling, splitting it into a near‑term phase centered on the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade and a longer‑term phase that relies on ZK‑EVM proofs and much higher blob data throughput. In the short term, Buterin’s post describes how the Glamsterdam hard fork will introduce block‑level access lists, enshrined proposer‑builder separation (ePBS), and gas repricing to make block validation more parallel and predictable. A key change is the start of multidimensional gas, where “state creation” costs (such as creating new contracts or storage) are priced separately from normal execution gas so execution capacity can grow without allowing unbounded state bloat. These features are intended to let Ethereum safely raise gas limits and throughput while keeping validation feasible for regular validators. Longer‑term, Buterin frames scaling around data blobs and ZK‑EVM‑based validation. Ethereum will iterate on PeerDAS (peer‑to‑peer data availability sampling) to increase blob bandwidth, with a stated goal of roughly 8 MB/second of blob data availability, enabling rollups and execution data to live in blobs without every node downloading all data. In parallel, the network is expected to adopt ZK‑EVM clients gradually starting around 2026, initially for a small share of validators and expanding through 2027 so more nodes can validate blocks via succinct proofs instead of full re‑execution. The roadmap culminates in a mandatory multi‑proof scheme – for example, a “3‑of‑5” model where multiple independent ZK‑EVM implementations each provide proofs per block – which would let most nodes verify correctness with high security guarantees and support substantially higher gas limits and throughput without centralizing hardware requirements.

AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

More coverage

Explore the topic

More on ZK

DIA launches DIA ZK, using zkTLS to verify offchain reserves and NAV onchain without revealing underlying figures

DIA launches DIA ZK, using zkTLS to verify offchain reserves and NAV onchain without revealing underlying figures

diadata.org ·

Project Eleven builds BIP-32 ZK proof for post-Q-Day wallet recovery, generating proofs in 243 ms

Project Eleven builds BIP-32 ZK proof for post-Q-Day wallet recovery, generating proofs in 243 ms

Projecteleven ·

Vitalik’s recent research paper proposes an extremely lean Ethereum consensus design that minimizes state, shifts validator responsibilities offchain, and uses ZK-STARK proofs for scalable, privacy-preserving consensus.

Vitalik’s recent research paper proposes an extremely lean Ethereum consensus design that minimizes state, shifts validator responsibilities offchain, and uses ZK-STARK proofs for scalable, privacy-preserving consensus.

ethresear.ch ·

Unlink goes live on Monad with ZK private transfers and scoped audit views for institutions

Unlink goes live on Monad with ZK private transfers and scoped audit views for institutions

blog.monad.xyz ·

Helius buys Light Protocol to make privacy first-class on Solana after ZK Compression

Helius buys Light Protocol to make privacy first-class on Solana after ZK Compression

The Block ·

Hyli blockchain shuts down after two years of ZK innovation and raising $3.4 million in funding.

Hyli blockchain shuts down after two years of ZK innovation and raising $3.4 million in funding.

𝕏/@hyli_org ·

Explore the full feed

Comments

Up nextBase launches Verify Onchain, enabling smart contracts to enforce one real person, one claim for airdrops, governance, and token sales without exposing user data