co-founder of Ethereum Vitalik Buterin It has detailed plans for a comprehensive, multi-year transformation of the blockchain and smart contract-focused protocol, which it describes as the network’s third major evolutionary phase. In an X-related post on July 4, 2026, Buterin described this effort, referred to internally as “Lean Ethereum,” as comparable to 2022 in scope and importance. combineSwitching from Ethereum proof of work to proof of stake.
Unlike that single, high-profile ETH block chain However, the new initiative will be rolled out gradually through a series of coordinated improvements spread over approximately three to four years.
The announcement follows recent in-person meetings. Ethereum Researchers in Berlin build on earlier discussions in Svalbard earlier in the year.
Two weeks ago, Ethereum researchers gathered in Berlin to continue charting the protocol’s long-term trajectory, following meetings with client teams in Svalbard in April.
The updated hay map is at: https://t.co/HZEerH1xxIand I added a picture of it to this post.
Mine… pic.twitter.com/KPGayHSySf
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) July 4, 2026
Buterin shared an updated high-level roadmap (“straw map”), outlining how the changes would impact nearly every core layer of the protocol, while also prioritizing simplification, long-term security, and minimal disruption for existing applications and users.
At the heart of the vision is a change in the network’s verification method transactions.
Verification will increasingly leverage recursive STARK proofs as a first-class, sacrosanct component of the protocol, rather than relying primarily on direct replay by each node.
This architectural change is expected to increase efficiency and scalability. At the same time, the entire cryptographic stack will be upgraded to quantum-resistant alternatives to future-proof the system against potential advances. quantum computing.
Consensus layer improvements are also planned.
The design envisages a structure that separates data availability from precision, separated by one- or two-stage precision mechanisms aimed at delivering both stronger theoretical and more robust data. security features and faster approval times than today’s installation.
Additional technical upgrades include multi-dimensional gas pricing, development of the state model beyond traditional tree structures to accommodate new state types, and improvements to the client architecture.
Privacy is being elevated from an optional feature to a core design requirement.
When planning updates to components such as the memory pool, state tree, and related infrastructure, developers are clearly considering how quantum-safe, agentless private operations will work with acceptable overhead.
Formal validation of protocol components is another highlighted priority for overall improvement. security and reduce application risks.
One of the most important areas of change involves Ethereum’s handling of state data. The current “dynamic” state will largely remain in place and receive only moderate scaling.
Additionally, new status categories optimized for scalability will be introduced (though their usage will be more restrictive).
These new case designs are expected to work particularly well with ERC-20 tokens, NFTs, and many other common use cases. decentralized finance applications.
While none of the existing apps will be forced to rewrite their code, developers who switch to new state formats could see much larger reductions in transaction fees, Buterin noted.
As a rough example of the latter case, Buterin suggested that around 2030 Ethereum could support up to 100 terabytes of newer, more efficient state types, while maintaining around 2 terabytes of traditional dynamic state.
Research Work is ongoing on incentive mechanisms to ensure nodes are appropriately motivated to store and serve this expanded dataset. The timeline includes a number of hard forks.
The upcoming H-star fork (also called Hegota) is seen as the last major upgrade with a predominantly pre-Lean character.
Next forksIt is expected to carry a strong Lean emphasis, starting with I-star.
Incremental improvements to gas limits, blob data Availability and slot times will continue for the next five years, with a significant increase in gas limit planned for the Glasterdam hard fork.
The guiding principles throughout the process continue to be simplification, cleanup of legacy elements, and preparation for the future; These are approaches that have proven successful during the Merger.
Buterin expressed his confidence Ethereum The ecosystem could achieve another major reinvention while keeping the experience seamless for builders and users.
The “Lean Ethereum” effort signals a continued commitment to improving the protocol in response to demands for scaling, emerging security threats, and the desire for greater efficiency. privacy. More details and community feedback on new state designs and other components are expected as development progresses.
