Ethereum’s Next-Gen Protocol Upgrades to Focus on Layer-1 Scalability and User Experience Enhancements

In its forthcoming protocol upgrades, Ethereum is prioritizing significant improvements to its Layer-1 infrastructure, aiming to boost network efficiency and streamline user interactions. These enhancements are expected to address critical pain points in transaction throughput and gas fee volatility, while also refining the overall UX for developers and end-users. The upgrade roadmap aligns with Ethereum’s long-term vision of creating a more scalable, secure, and user-friendly blockchain ecosystem, potentially setting new benchmarks for Layer-1 performance in the smart contract platform space.

Protocol Upgrades and a Revised Role for Vitalik Buterin

Stańczak described the discussions surrounding Ethereum’s base-layer roadmap as extensive and community-driven, noting that the changes are designed to sharpen focus among researchers and CORE developers. Stańczak wrote:

Our discussions about the Layer 1 scaling roadmap have been extensive, and the feedback so far suggests that the community appreciates our ambition. Turning that ambition into reality now depends on the focus of the core development teams and researchers.

As part of its strategic transition, the Ethereum Foundation is aiming to give Vitalik Buterin more time to focus on advanced research rather than daily operational oversight.

“We aimed, among other things, to free more of Vitalik’s time for research and exploration,” Stańczak stated, adding that Buterin’s recent writings on topics like RISC-V and zkVMs have been instrumental in directing attention toward potentially “transformative technologies.”

According to Stańczak, these insights have played a significant role in realigning the Ethereum community around long-term priorities, such as privacy, modularity, and decentralized infrastructure.

Stańczak clarified that Buterin’s proposals are not mandates but starting points for community-led exploration:

Vitalik’s proposals will always carry weight, but they are intended to start conversations and encourage progress in difficult research areas.

He also stressed the importance of giving other researchers the same freedom, highlighting ongoing work by contributors like Justin Drake and Tankard Feist.

Overall. the Foundation’s research direction is now geared toward short-term outcomes that include better Layer-1 scaling, enhanced Layer-2 integration, and more “seamless” user experiences—especially in upcoming upgrades like Pectra, Fusaka, and Glamsterdam.

RISC-V Proposal and Developer Flexibility

The Foundation is also assessing the feasibility of moving from the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to a more modern execution environment powered by RISC-V.

This proposal, initially introduced by Buterin, suggests that RISC-V could streamline execution, improve efficiency, and simplify zero-knowledge proof implementation.

“We are exploring ways to bring forward projects that currently look three to five years away,” Stańczak noted, referencing possible acceleration in next-gen execution and consensus layer development.

RISC-V’s benefits include broader language compatibility and the potential for backward compatibility with existing EVM contracts. Developers could continue using Solidity and Vyper or expand into languages like Rust.

Additionally, RISC-V could improve validator performance through hardware-level customization, while maintaining core Ethereum features such as account models and contract interactions.

As research and experimentation continue, Stańczak emphasized the importance of community input: “Ethereum researchers often ask that readers recognize the exploratory nature of their posts and proposals. Focus remains essential.”

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