Vitalik Buterin outlines Ethereum execution-layer overhaul targeting state tree and VM proving efficiency

Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin has outlined execution-layer changes that could reshape the network's architecture by overhauling its state tree and virtual machine, according to a post on X. He highlighted EIP-7864 from Guillaume Ballet and collaborators, which would replace Ethereum's hexary Keccak-based Merkle Patricia Tree with a binary structure using hash functions such as BLAKE3 or a Poseidon variant, potentially shortening Merkle branches about fourfold and cutting data costs for tools like Helios and private information retrieval systems by 4x. The proposal could improve proving efficiency by 3–4 times while grouping storage into 64×256-slot pages to save more than 10,000 gas per transaction for some applications, Buterin said. He added that a prover-friendly state tree could let zero-knowledge applications interact directly with Ethereum's state and support future state expiry metadata, and he argued for a longer-term transition from the Ethereum Virtual Machine to a RISCV-based VM via a phased roadmap that starts with precompiles, later enables direct contract deployment, and ultimately moves the EVM into a compatibility layer smart contract while maintaining backward compatibility aside from gas cost changes.