Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared plans to scale Ethereum’s Layer-1 (L1) and Layer-2 (L2) protocols.
Buterin highlighted the need for continued innovation in L2 solutions, with the plans coming amid frothing criticism of Ethereum ecosystem leadership.
Buterin’s Plans for L1s and L2s in 2025
In a recent blog post, Buterin reinforced his stance that L2 protocols are the future of Ethereum scalability. He dismissed the idea of scaling solely through L1 as impractical and contrary to Ethereum’s core ethos.
“We need to continue building up the technical and social properties, and the utility, of Ethereum,” Buterin wrote.
According to Buterin, Ethereum risks losing its mission of being a decentralized and socially impactful alternative if it lacks these elements. Reflecting on the evolution of L2 solutions, Buterin remarked on the vast progress made since the early experimental phase of 2019. However, he identified two primary challenges for Ethereum’s scaling efforts:
- Limited Blob Space
Current L2 solutions are constrained by insufficient blob space, limiting their ability to handle the ecosystem’s growing needs. Buterin proposed increasing the number of blobs on L1 to enable moderate short-term scaling.
At the same time, he calls for a focus on improving Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS), storage, EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine), and cryptography capabilities.
- Heterogeneity in L2 Protocols
The diversity in L2 designs has led to challenges in composability and user experience. To address this, Buterin advocated for accelerated standardization across L2s and enhanced interoperability.
To incentivize L2 protocols to align with Ethereum’s long-term vision, Buterin suggested dedicating a percentage of L2 revenues to Ethereum’s ecosystem. Mechanisms toward this endeavor range from fee burning and permanent staking to funding public goods.
Buterin envisions an Ethereum network capable of housing more decentralized applications (dApps), increasing ETH utility and adoption. In the long term, these improvements could positively impact ETH’s value.
BeInCrypto data shows ETH was trading at $3,404 as of this writing, up over 6% since Friday’s session opened.
Scaling without Compromising Ethereum Core Values
Further, Buterin dismissed the notion of abandoning L2s in favor of scaling solely through L1 solutions with a higher gas limit or multiple shards. He argued that this would compromise Ethereum’s social structure, which thrives on decentralized research, development, and ecosystem building.
Instead, he urged the community to stay the course with L2 solutions, ensuring they fulfill their promise of efficient scaling without undermining Ethereum’s core values.
Notably, this is not the first time Buterin has addressed the sustainability of Ethereum scaling solutions. In September, he controversially predicted that some L2 solutions would fail. He committed to recognizing only L2 networks that reach “stage 1+” maturity.
“Stage 1 (75% threshold on the council to override the proof system, 26%+ of the council must be outside the rollup team) is a very reasonable moderate milestone. The multisigs I am in have not had a single liveness failure in years, let alone 26%. The era of rollups being glorified multisigs is ending. The era of cryptographic trust is upon us,” Buterin explained.
This ultimatum aligned with Buterin’s vision of advancing cryptographic trust, marking a new era in blockchain development. As BeInCrypto reported, elements such as inefficiencies, lack of scalability, or failure to meet user demands formed the basis of his concerns.
His latest comments align with this outlook. He called for improvements in L2 security, interoperability, and composability to ensure their long-term success.
Meanwhile, the comments come at a time of heightened criticism of the Ethereum Foundation. Detractors point to Ethereum’s declining market capitalization and questioning its strategic direction. Despite these challenges, Buterin remains steadfast in his belief that Ethereum’s L2 ecosystem is vital for its future growth.
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