Ethereum (ETH), Third Major Overhaul Since The Merge... '3-4 Years' Development Schedule Controversy

▲ Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum (ETH) has announced its third major overhaul since The Merge. As the 'Lean Ethereum' concept, which involves a large-scale replacement of core protocols, was unveiled, a debate ignited over the 3-4 year development schedule.

According to crypto media outlet BeInCrypto on July 5 (local time), Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled the Lean Ethereum roadmap. Through the Ethereum Foundation's draft roadmap, known as the "strawmap," the plan is to replace most of the core areas of the protocol over the next 3-4 years. Buterin stated, "To be clear, this is the third major Ethereum overhaul, in the same sense that The Merge was the second."

At the heart of the overhaul are recursive STARKs. The plan is to change the system so that cryptographic proof systems verify the chain instead of all nodes re-executing transactions, and to directly incorporate STARKs as a core protocol component. Cryptographic technologies vulnerable to quantum computers will be replaced with hash-based methods to prepare for quantum computing threats.

The data storage structure will also be revised. While most of the existing core protocol structure will be maintained, limited new state types will be added, which can be expanded to 100TB by 2030. Changing ERC-20 tokens or Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to a new format can reduce fees by more than 10 times, while complex applications like decentralized exchanges will remain in the existing structure. Privacy will also be elevated to a core goal, and the next Glamsterdam upgrade will push for an increase in the gas limit.

The problem is the timeline. Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist pointed out that the 3-4 year schedule is excessively slow. He said, "Fully proven STF, Gigagas scale expansion, and finality in seconds are exciting. But 3-4 years is very slow," adding, "I think it could realistically be finished in about 1 year using LLMs." The strawmap also acknowledged that AI-accelerated research could shorten the development period.

The Lean Ethereum concept was released just weeks after the Ethereum Foundation cut approximately 20% of its workforce (54 positions) and transitioned to a fund-operated budget system. The strawmap is a draft, not a finalized schedule, and Buterin stated that the upcoming Hegotá fork is likely to be the last fork before the Lean Ethereum era.

[Article Key Summary]

-Vitalik Buterin unveiled the Lean Ethereum roadmap as the third major overhaul since The Merge.

-Recursive STARKs, quantum computing-resistant cryptographic technology, and a 100TB scalable state structure by 2030 are included in the core reforms.

-Regarding the 3-4 year development schedule, Dankrad Feist argued that it could be completed in about 1 year using LLMs.

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