Vitalik Buterin proposes replacing Ethereum’s EVM with RISC-V

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposes switching Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to RISC-V as a new foundation for Smart Contracts.

Buterin argued that the change could improve the efficiency of the network’s execution layer and address long-term scaling issues.

Solving Scaling Issues

In the Ethereum Magicians Forum Post on April 20th, he explained that the main reason for this idea is to improve the way zero-aware Ethereum virtual machines (ZK-EVMs) work, as they are key to scaling networks.

“Beamchain efforts are high hopes to significantly simplify the Ethereum consensus layer,” he writes. “But this kind of fundamental change may be the only viable path for the executive to see similar benefits.”

Currently, Ethereum code written in a language like Solidity is first converted to EVM instructions and again to work with zero knowledge tools. The solution for Buterin is to remove that extra conversion step and write code to the developer that goes directly to RISC-V.

This can sometimes be more than 100 times faster by reducing the prover cycles required for processes such as state updates, block execution, and input starrierization. This is because RISC-V is highly compatible with the system and avoids many of the inefficiencies of current setups.

In particular, this change has no effect on how users interact with Ethereum. Smart contracts still function as normal, with existing contracts continuing to interact with new contracts written in an updated format.

Several implementation options are being considered, such as sorting RISC-V and EVM contracts, using legacy support using RISC-V-based EVM interpreters, and fully integrating the interpreters into Ethereum’s protocols.

The co-founder of Ethereum pointed out Nervos, a blockchain that already uses RISC-V, as an example of how to successfully apply this system. He also mentions the potential benefits of switching the main hash function to a faster, proof-friendly version, further enhancing performance.

Ethereum’s challenges

This proposal comes at a multi-year low on Ethereum network usage. Santiment data shows average trading fees fell to $0.16 in April. This is the lowest number recorded since 2020. This drop is due to a decrease in Layer 1 activity when users move to Layer 2 solutions for faster and cheaper transactions.

Meanwhile, Ethereum continues to face pressure from new chains like Solana and Sui, which has seen faster performance and reduced fees. Future Pectra upgrades are scheduled for May 7th, but a post from Buterin suggests that deeper structural changes may be needed to keep blockchain competitive and scalable.