Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a major update to make running a node more accessible to ordinary users. His idea aims to reduce the hardware and storage needed to run a full Ethereum node.

Instead of storing Ethereum’s full history—now over 1.3 terabytes—users would only keep data relevant to them and request older records when needed. The approach, similar to how library branches share books, would bring Ethereum nodes to standard devices, including smartphones.

Buterin says this shift reduces reliance on powerful cloud services and avoids centralised risks. The proposal arrives just ahead of Ethereum’s ambitious Pectra upgrade, which will lay the foundation for better scalability and decentralisation.

Meanwhile, other voices in the Ethereum space are pushing bold ideas. Researcher Dankrad Feist has proposed boosting the network’s gas limit by 100 times to handle up to 2,000 transactions per second.

Former developer Eric Connor believes Ethereum could help solve AI’s centralisation issues. But critics like Nic Carter warn that layer-2 networks and excessive token creation are diluting Ether’s value.

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