ETH to Scale Layer 1 by 10X in a Year, Says Vitalik

The announcement, made during a panel discussion at ETHGlobal Prague, comes amid growing community debate about the optimal pace for Ethereum's technical evolution.

Buterin's carefully calibrated approach emphasizes maintaining Ethereum's core principles of decentralization while implementing substantial performance improvements.

"My view is generally we should scale L1 by about 10x over the next year and a bit based on delayed execution”, Buterin said, acknowledging more aggressive proposals within the community that advocate for immediate 1,000x scaling solutions. The blockchain pioneer explained that his preferred timeline balances meaningful progress with necessary technical diligence.

The scaling strategy will leverage several key technological upgrades currently in development. These include mobile log-level access lists designed to optimize data retrieval, networking-layer improvements to enhance node communication efficiency, and distributed history storage solutions that alleviate data burdens on individual nodes. Buterin particularly emphasized the importance of these distributed storage protocols, which could significantly reduce the hardware requirements for running full nodes while maintaining network security.

Following this initial scaling phase, Buterin proposes what he terms a "technical breather" - a deliberate pause to assess the network's health. This interim period would focus on evaluating decentralization metrics and implementing crucial refinements through a planned hard fork. Priority upgrades during this phase would address longstanding community priorities including advanced account abstraction features, enhanced censorship resistance mechanisms, virtual machine optimizations, and protocol simplification efforts. Notably, Buterin also suggested transitioning to SSL encryption during this period to strengthen network security.

The Ethereum creator highlighted that this measured approach creates the ideal foundation for future exponential scaling through zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (zkEVMs).

"When zkEVMs reach full maturity, that's when we can truly accelerate scaling",
Buterin said, suggesting that the current roadmap positions Ethereum to capitalize on these advanced technologies when they become production-ready.

This announcement builds upon Buterin's previous advocacy for partially stateless nodes - an innovation that could revolutionize node operation by allowing block validation without requiring complete historical data storage. Such architectural improvements could dramatically lower barriers to entry for node operators while maintaining Ethereum's security guarantees.

The proposed timeline emerges against a backdrop of intensifying community debate about Ethereum's scaling priorities. Following a challenging first quarter marked by price declines and reduced on-chain activity, prominent voices like Ethereum researcher Dankrad Feist have called for more aggressive scaling measures. Feist's EIP-7938 proposal advocates increasing Ethereum's gas limit to achieve 100x capacity expansion within four years - a plan its creator argues can maintain Ethereum's decentralized ethos while meeting growing demand.

External observers have added fuel to these discussions, with Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson recently making controversial comparisons between Ethereum's trajectory and former tech giants like Myspace and Blackberry. Hoskinson's critique centers on Ethereum's growing reliance on Layer 2 solutions, which he characterizes as "parasitic" to the mainchain's long-term health.

Buterin's roadmap appears designed to navigate these competing pressures by delivering substantial near-term scaling while preserving Ethereum's fundamental values. The approach recognizes that while technological ambition is necessary, maintaining network security and decentralization remains paramount. As the Ethereum community evaluates these proposals, the coming months will prove critical in determining whether Buterin's balanced vision can satisfy both the platform's immediate performance needs and its long-term philosophical commitments.

Industry analysts suggest this announcement may represent a strategic middle path in Ethereum's evolution - one that demonstrates meaningful progress to both developers and investors while avoiding the potential pitfalls of over-rapid expansion. With zkEVM technology advancing rapidly and the ecosystem facing increasing competition from alternative smart contract platforms, Ethereum's ability to execute on this scaling vision while maintaining its distinctive characteristics may well determine its position in the next phase of blockchain adoption.