Vitalik Buterin Pushes Ethereum Toward RISC-V: A Radical Shift to Reclaim Blockchain Efficiency

Vitalik Buterin Pushes Ethereum Toward RISC-V: A Radical Shift to Reclaim Blockchain Efficiency

Ethereum’s co-founder charts a bold course to overhaul its execution layer, signaling a new phase in the smart contract blockchain’s evolution.

Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Suggests Switching to RISC-V for Smarter, Faster Blockchain Execution

In a bold new proposal, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has called for the Ethereum network to replace its long-standing EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) contract language with RISC-V, an open-source instruction set architecture widely praised for its simplicity and efficiency.

Buterin’s April 20 proposal presents RISC-V as a strategic solution to Ethereum’s performance bottlenecks, positioning the shift as vital to maintain Ethereum’s relevance in an increasingly competitive blockchain space.

Ethereum Faces Pressure From High-Throughput Rivals

Ethereum has long been the dominant force in smart contracts, but it now finds itself under pressure from faster, high-throughput chains like Solana and Sui. These next-gen blockchains offer significantly more speed and lower fees, attracting both developers and investors.

Buterin acknowledges that Ethereum’s scaling challenges—particularly on the execution layer—require radical solutions. His proposal outlines three critical bottlenecks:

• Stable data availability sampling

• Sustainable competitiveness in block production

• Improved zero-knowledge (ZK) EVM proving

“The beam chain effort holds great promise for simplifying Ethereum’s consensus layer,” Buterin stated. “But for the execution layer to match that progress, a radical change may be the only viable path.”

Why RISC-V?

The RISC-V architecture, known for its flexibility, modularity, and open-source foundation, could offer Ethereum developers a standardized, performance-optimized alternative to the existing EVM bytecode system.

Buterin suggests that a switch to RISC-V could yield efficiency gains of up to 100x, especially when paired with ZK proofs—a critical technology for Ethereum’s scalability ambitions.

Transaction Fee Collapse Highlights Ethereum’s Struggles

The urgency of Buterin’s proposal is further underscored by recent on-chain metrics:

• Blob fees, taken from Ethereum’s layer-2 networks, hit a low of just 3.18 ETH (~$5,000) during the week of March 30.

• In April 2025, Ethereum’s average network transaction fee dropped to $0.16, a level not seen since 2020.

This dramatic fee drop may sound like good news for users, but for Ethereum’s long-term sustainability, it’s a red flag.

Brian Quinlivan, marketing director at Santiment, explains:

“The sharp fee decline reflects a significant drop in base layer usage as users migrate to layer-2s or opt for smart contract interactions instead.”

Layer-2: A Double-Edged Sword for Ethereum

While Ethereum’s layer-2 networks have greatly reduced transaction costs, they have also cannibalized the base layer’s revenue—once a primary driver of Ether’s value.

With declining on-chain activity, Ether’s price has plummeted to multi-year lows. Some analysts warn that prices could slide further to $1,100 if investor confidence continues to erode.

What’s Next for Ethereum?

Buterin’s RISC-V proposal may be controversial, but it’s also timely. With Ethereum’s base layer revenue shrinking, investor sentiment weakening, and high-performance chains gaining ground, the call for architectural reform is resonating louder than ever.

If implemented, this shift could mark a new era of Ethereum innovation—one where performance and scalability finally align with the network’s long-term vision.