Vitalik Buterin continuously pushes the boundaries of Ethereum. His goal: to make this Layer 1 blockchain faster, more efficient, and above all, sustainable. He envisions a network capable of handling extreme loads without losing security or decentralization. This project is part of a broader ambition: to build a blockchain capable of supporting a thriving digital economy while maintaining its open and decentralized spirit. Vitalik wants an Ethereum ready to explode, but on solid foundations.

The Sine Qua Non Conditions According to Vitalik Buterin for a Sustainable Layer 1

Vitalik Buterin is not the type to be content with just presenting his ambitious projects for 2025 and then disappearing: he insists, applies pressure, and shares. For him, a solid Ethereum L1 must meet four major conditions. First, the network’s performance must be measured under normal and extreme situations. According to him:

Before real-time proofing is deemed production ready, strict cryptographic guarantees are required.

This requirement is based on the experience of Succinct, which recently achieved a major breakthrough with ZK proof in under 12 seconds. But this feat still consumes too much energy: nearly 100 kW, while Vitalik dreams of a network that could be validated at home with only 10 kW.

Finally, he insists on the need to increase the gas limit, hoping for a multiplication by 10, even 100. Vitalik writes: “We want 10-100x the L1 gas limit.”

The ambition is clear: to make Ethereum a network that is scalable, green, and accessible.

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Ethereum Copies Bitcoin: Simplicity and Sovereignty at the Heart of the Vision

Vitalik does not hide his admiration for Bitcoin. He stresses that its structure is “so simple a high schooler can understand it.” This simplicity is a source of robustness and transparency. By contrast, Ethereum still suffers from complexity that hampers adoption. To address this, Vitalik proposes aligning Ethereum with this philosophy.

This approach is coupled with a quest for individual sovereignty. He states that local nodes are essential for trustless and censorship-resistant access to the blockchain. The so-called “stateless” nodes, which store only part of the data, represent a key evolution.

Vitalik explains that these partially stateless nodes “offer direct local access to relevant data while ensuring maximum privacy.” This approach is designed to guarantee that each user remains master of their interactions with Ethereum, safe from centralization.

Sovereignty and Decentralization: Pillars of a Resilient Ethereum

Vitalik continuously reminds us that decentralization is the cornerstone of Ethereum. According to him, scaling the network should not come at the expense of this decentralization. That’s why he proposes solutions to lighten the nodes’ burden, such as EIP-4444 which limits the storage of historical data to 36 days. This measure aims to facilitate the maintenance of personal nodes.

Vitalik Buterin also specifies:

Outsourced ZK solutions will remain costly, and do not protect against RPC censorship.

These remarks recall the threat posed by the concentration of access providers. He wants Ethereum to remain a network where anyone can validate, read, and write freely. These technical innovations are part of a humanistic and pragmatic vision. They combine performance and respect for digital freedoms.

Here are some key figures to understand this vision:

• Real-time ZK proof completed in under 12 seconds by Succinct;
• Current energy consumption of 100 kW, targeted reduction to 10 kW;
• Ethereum aims to increase its gas limit by 10 to 100 times;
• Reduction of local data storage to 36 days via EIP-4444;
• 15 million Ethereum users affected by these changes.

With a man like Vitalik Buterin, so determined and hardworking, Ethereum doesn’t rest. Proposals follow one after another and updates are constant. On the price side, Ethereum’s crypto follows in bitcoin’s footsteps. Some analysts put forward three solid reasons to believe ETH could reach $5,000 this year: increased adoption, major technical improvements, and a favorable market dynamic. This trajectory illustrates the rise of an ever more robust and ambitious network.