Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin called for simplifying Ethereum's base protocol

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has called for simplifying the blockchain’s base protocol, aiming to make the network more efficient, secure and accessible, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin’s minimalist design.

In a blog post titled "Simplifying the L1" on May 3, Buterin laid out a vision to restructure Ethereum’s architecture across consensus, execution and shared components.

“This post will describe how Ethereum 5 years from now can become close to as simple as Bitcoin,” Buterin wrote, arguing that simplicity is key to Ethereum’s resilience and long-term scalability.

While recent upgrades like proof-of-stake (PoS) and Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) integration have made Ethereum more robust, he said that technical complexity has led to bloated development cycles, higher costs and greater risks of bugs:

Related: ‘Vitalik: An Ethereum Story’ is less about crypto and more about being human

Ethereum eyes ‘3-Slot Finality’ to simplify consensus

One key area of focus is Ethereum’s consensus layer. Central to this effort is the proposed “3-slot finality” model, which eliminates complex components like epochs, sync committees and validator shuffling.

“The reduced number of active validators at a time means that it becomes safer to use simpler implementations of the fork choice rule,” Buterin wrote.

Other proposed improvements include allowing for more straightforward fork choice rules and adopting Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (STARK)-based aggregation protocols to decentralize and simplify network coordination.

On the execution layer, Buterin proposed a shift from the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to a simpler, ZK-friendly virtual machine like RISC-V. This move could offer 100x performance improvements for zero-knowledge proofs and significantly simplify the protocol.

RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) used in designing computer processors. It follows a minimalist design philosophy, using a small set of simple instructions for high efficiency and easier implementation.

To preserve backward compatibility, Buterin suggested running legacy EVM contracts onchain via a RISC-V interpreter while supporting both VMs concurrently during a transitional phase.

Related: Ethereum community members propose new fee structure for the app layer

Buterin calls for protocol-wide standards

Buterin also advocated for protocol-wide standardization. He suggested adopting a single erasure coding method, serialization format (favoring SSZ), and tree structure to reduce redundant complexity and streamline Ethereum’s tooling and infrastructure.

“Simplicity is in many ways similar to decentralization,” Buterin wrote. He suggested Ethereum adopt a “max line-of-code” target similar to what Tinygrad does, keeping consensus-critical logic as lean and auditable as possible.

Non-critical legacy features would remain but reside outside the core specification.

Buterin’s proposal aimed at simplifying Ethereum comes as the network continues to lose market share to competing blockchains.

During a panel discussion at the LONGITUDE by Cointelegraph event on May 2, Alex Svanevik, CEO of data service Nansen, said Ethereum’s relative dominance among L1 blockchain networks has declined.

“If you’d asked me 3–4 years ago whether Ethereum would dominate crypto, I’d have said yes,” Svanevik said during a panel discussion at the LONGITUDE by Cointelegraph event. “But now, it’s clear that’s not what’s happening.”