Ethereum considers replacing EVM with RISC-V: A strategic turning point for future scalability

More than a year after the Dencun upgrade made a strong push for Layer 2 networks, and just a few months before the anticipated launch of the Fusaka issuance, Ethereum co-founder – Vitalik Buterin – put forward a bold proposal: to replace the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V – an open-source, low-level instruction set architecture.

Why is RISC-V noteworthy?

EVM is the platform that executes all smart contracts on Ethereum – converting Solidity code into machine orders and coordinating the interaction process between contracts. This is the "heart" of Ethereum from the early days. Therefore, the proposal to replace it has generated strong reactions within the community.

According to Buterin, to achieve a leap in performance, especially in generating zero-knowledge proofs (ZK), Ethereum needs a structural change. He believes that RISC-V could accelerate this process by up to 100 times, particularly benefiting zk-rollups – a solution considered the safest scaling future for Ethereum.

The Challenge of "Overhauling" the Ecosystem

However, replacing the EVM is not as simple as upgrading software. Stuart Popejoy – CEO of Kadena – stated that this is equivalent to asking the internet to replace the HTTP protocol: theoretically feasible, but almost impossible in the short term.

Popejoy warns that the shift to RISC-V will erase over 10 years of knowledge and security experience accumulated with EVM. Additionally, current smart contracts are immutable and cannot be moved – therefore, it is necessary to rewrite and revalidate everything from scratch. Layer 2 solutions like Optimism and Arbitrum, which rely on EVM to verify transactions, will also be severely affected.

Feasible roadmap: Parallel support

Most experts believe that the most viable path is to maintain two virtual machines in parallel for at least a decade. New contracts can leverage the superior performance from RISC-V, while existing contracts continue to operate on EVM. This approach allows the ecosystem to transition gradually, minimizing disruption – similar to how zk-rollups were introduced.

Blessing Onuogu – a blockchain researcher – argues that the proposal, while complex and ambitious, has the potential to deliver a more efficient and flexible Ethereum. With its open, customizable nature and compatibility with ZK applications, RISC-V could unlock capabilities for more sophisticated smart contracts, which are currently constrained by the EVM stack structure.

Lesson: Evolve Instead of Replace

Even if Ethereum does not completely replace the EVM, the RISC-V proposal still opens up new avenues for experimentation and improvement. Developers are encouraged to invest in modular architecture, abstracting proof systems, and experimenting with compilers like LLVM IR, WebAssembly – instead of relying entirely on Solidity.

Ethereum is facing increasing competition from blockchains like Solana, Sui, and various modular rollup frameworks. Upgrades like Dencun and Pectra have addressed some bottlenecks, but it's not enough. Proposals like EIP-7983 – limiting gas per transaction – reflect a new design philosophy: simplify when possible, preserve when necessary.

As Onuogu concluded: "The evolution of Ethereum is not about tearing down what has been built, but about creating what comes next – in a careful, transparent manner and for the benefit of the entire ecosystem."

This transformation process can take decades – but it seems to have begun.

Mr. Giáo