Vitalik Buterin updated Ethereum's "Lean Ethereum" roadmap. The new plan integrates native privacy into the protocol's core, while raising the priority of quantum-resistant cryptography and a lighter verification structure, outlining a technical direction for Ethereum over the next three to four years.
Privacy shift to the underlying protocol
This roadmap shows that Ethereum’s approach to privacy is shifting from the wallet and application layers to the underlying network itself. The solution reexamines key modules—consensus, transactions, validator records, and state storage—with the goal of enabling stronger privacy without excessively increasing the network’s burden.
Buterin also discussed privacy and security together. He believes that future Ethereum designs must not only address the issue of visibility of user activities but also prepare for risks brought by more powerful computing, including the long-term threat posed by quantum computing.
Quantum-resistant and STARK verification
The roadmap notes that certain existing cryptographic components may need to be gradually replaced in the future, including BLS signatures, KZG commitments, and ECDSA signatures. Going forward, Ethereum will place greater emphasis on post-quantum cryptographic tools to enhance long-term security.
Another key focus is introducing STARK-based verification. Under this design, the recomputation workload is handled by a single prover, while other nodes only need to verify a smaller proof rather than repeating the full computation. This is expected to reduce the burden on nodes and support larger state sizes.
- May adjust components such as BLS, KZG, and ECDSA
- STARK proofs are used to reduce redundant computation by nodes.
- The roadmap mentions that the state size could reach 100 TB by 2030.
Validator identities are updated daily.
Buterin also discussed a more streamlined consensus chain design in his post on July 6. Currently, Ethereum stores multiple pieces of information for each validator, including public keys, withdrawal credentials, balance data, and status fields. The new approach aims to compress these essential data elements into a smaller footprint.
The roadmap also proposes daily balance proofs. Validators can prove their activity using STARK proofs rather than relying on continuous state updates, which is expected to significantly reduce existing end-of-period processing workflows.
In the privacy section, the roadmap also proposes introducing daily updated identities for validators. Validators can register new public keys during the balance proof process, reducing the likelihood of direct association between old and new identities.
The foundation is synchronously adjusting its structure.
At the time of this roadmap’s release, the Ethereum Foundation is also restructuring its organization. Reports indicate that the foundation has reduced its workforce by approximately 20% and lowered its budget targets, with some protocol contributors having left or adjusted their roles.
While the development team continues advancing its long-term technical roadmap, this "Lean Ethereum" roadmap provides clearer direction for the next phase. However, the document itself is not a fixed upgrade schedule. It also notes that the Hegotá fork may be the last fork before the "Lean" phase begins.