After celebrating its 10th anniversary, Ethereum announced its new vision that will mark the next 10 years: Lean Ethereum.
This roadmap, which the foundation describes as a “generational promise,” aims to propel Ethereum into a new era in both performance and security. The goal: 10,000 transactions per second (TPS), quantum-resistant cryptography, and planetary sustainability.
According to the Ethereum Foundation, ETH must not only scale but also “survive against all odds.” After 10 years of zero downtime, the ETH network currently has $130 billion in economic security (approximately 35.7 million ETH staked). The Foundation aims to reach $1 trillion in future security.
This approach, called “Fort mode,” argues that Ethereum exists only if the internet exists; that the chain exists only if the world is online. This mode aims to make Ethereum resistant to all kinds of attacks, from government threats to quantum computers.
On the performance front, Ethereum is preparing to enter “beast mode.” While low-cost efficiency gains are expected over the next 6-12 months, more radical steps are coming in the long term:
- L1 target: 10,000 TPS capacity with Gigagas-level bandwidth
- L2 target: Tier-2 solutions reaching 1 million TPS with Teragas capacity
This goal will be supported by innovations such as zkVMs (zero-knowledge virtual machines), data availability sampling (DAS), and full chain verification from browsers, wallets, and phones.
The Lean Ethereum approach redesigns the three layers that form the foundation of ETH:
- Lean consensus (CL): Beacon Chain 2.0 comes with finality within seconds and superior decentralization.
- Lean data (DL): More flexible data processing with post-quantum compatible data blocks (blobs 2.0).
- Lean execution (EL): A new SNARK-compatible, minimal, but EVM-compatible virtual machine (probably based on RISC-V).
The Ethereum Foundation concludes its statement with the following words:
“Lean Ethereum is a generational promise to keep Ethereum online in all conditions, to scale without compromise, and to make it worthy of those who come after us.”
*This is not investment advice.
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