Ethereum (ETH) co-creator Vitalik Buterin aims to scale Ethereum to over 100,000 transactions per second (TPS). This goal is part of a long-term strategy focused on improving both Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks.
Buterin outlined these goals in a recent blog post, emphasizing the need for robust scalability while maintaining decentralization and security.
Vitalik Buterin addresses Ethereum’s scalability challenges
Vitalik Buterin's roadmap states that the rollup-centric approach was born from sharding with layer 2 protocols. Despite these challenges, he is confident that rollups will remain Ethereum's favorite scaling method.
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Another key issue is achieving speed while maintaining Ethereum's core decentralization principles. High scalability issues were resolved by optimizing data availability sampling.
This technology ensures data availability without the need for each node to store all information. According to Buterin, Ethereum's Dencun upgrade also saw improvements, but the network's speed limitations remain unresolved.
Ethereum carefully considering raising gas limits
Ethereum's throughput has increased significantly thanks to Buterin's medium-term goal of 16 MB of data availability per slot. This significantly increases the TPS of your network to tens of thousands. This is much higher than the network can currently operate.
Some applications, such as decentralized social platforms and payment systems, may not be enough. To solve these high-bandwidth business use cases, Buterin proposed Plasma, an off-chain solution where data sets are posted on-chain via Merkle routes.
Plasma could help scale Ethereum for “high volume, low value” apps, i.e. fast processing and low fees. Another option he proposed was to raise gas limits, which he believed would fundamentally undermine Layer 1 decentralization.
Buterin suggested that Ethereum could achieve greater efficiency by charging fees based on the type of computation required. He also considered using a more efficient bytecode format (EOF). Both strategies have the idea of accelerating Ethereum without affecting its fundamental value.
Ethereum scaling aims to maintain core value
However, Buterin warned of the economic impact of a mismatch in layer 1 and layer 2 scalability. Complicating matters, if Layer 2 is too efficient compared to Layer 1, the Ethereum ecosystem could become unstable.
If Layer 1 is too slow or centralized, the value of Ether as an asset could be threatened. Buterin said an effective gas restriction strategy is essential to address these concerns. But he said there was still no clear plan in sight to expand gas caps without undermining decentralization.
Instead, he is aiming for specific improvements that will make certain areas of Ethereum cheaper. The obvious challenge is scaling, but Buterin is optimistic that it can be scaled without sacrificing Ethereum's capabilities.
He envisions Ethereum's Refine Rollup, combined with other solutions such as Plasma, to help absorb the next wave of decentralized applications. Finally, Buterin wants Ethereum to become a larger, more secure, decentralized platform.
