Ethereum Co-Founder Proposes Radical Shift: Say Goodbye to EVM, Hello to RISC-V
Accelerate Ethereum Up to 100-fold, Simplify It Equivalent to Bitcoin: Proposal by Vitalik
In an unexpected move, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed replacing Ethereum's Virtual Machine (EVM) with the RISC-V architecture. The aim? To supercharge Ethereum's performance and simplify its codebase.
Buterin's blog post from May 3 lays out his vision for a more efficient Ethereum. He aspires to bring Ethereum's complexities down to the level of Bitcoin, a currency whose protocol he admires for its simplicity.
The RISC-V Advantage
RISC-V is an open-source instruction set that allows software to communicate directly with processors. This simpler integration could potentially make some operations up to 100 times faster, while maintaining backward compatibility with existing smart contracts.
By contrast, the EVM requires translation to other formats prior to processing. Streamlining this process with RISC-V could offer significant speed-ups.
Not Without Challenges
The transition to RISC-V is bound to have its hurdles. Dominick John, an analyst at Kronos Research, notes that the proposal could "break backward compatibility, demand massive developer retraining, and rely on immature tooling."
Moreover, Ethereum's governance process involves a complex web of stakeholders, making consensus difficult to reach.
A Vision Beyond the Price Tags
Despite these concerns, some see potential in Ethereum's future beyond its current market value. Thad Pinakiewicz, a researcher at Galaxy, believes that "price isn’t the scoreboard for technological maturity." He argues that Ethereum’s underlying infrastructure is attracting attention and imitation from other platforms.
With RISC-V, Buterin is proposing a bold move to position Ethereum as a highly efficient, developer-friendly platform for decentralized applications. If successful, this shift could revolutionize the way we interact with the blockchain.
Read More: Vitalik Buterin's RISC-V Vision for Ethereum Scaling and Simplification
This article has been edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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- Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder, has proposed a radical shift, aiming to replace Ethereum's Virtual Machine (EVM) with the RISC-V architecture to improve Ethereum's performance and simplify its codebase.
- Buterin contemplates making Ethereum as efficient as Bitcoin, admiring its protocol for its simplicity.
- RISC-V is an open-source instruction set that allows software to communicate directly with processors, potentially making some operations up to 100 times faster while maintaining backward compatibility with existing smart contracts.
- The transition to RISC-V could have hurdles, such as breaking backward compatibility, demanding massive developer retraining, and relying on immature tooling.
- Ethereum's governance process involves a complex web of stakeholders, making consensus difficult to reach.
- Thad Pinakiewicz, a researcher at Galaxy, believes that Ethereum’s underlying infrastructure is attracting attention and imitation from other platforms, suggesting that its market value may not be a reliable measure of its technological maturity.
- With RISC-V, Buterin is proposing a bold move to position Ethereum as a highly efficient, developer-friendly platform for decentralized applications, revolutionizing how we interact with the blockchain.
