Buterin Proposes RISC-V to Replace Ethereum EVM

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with the open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture, as detailed in an April 20 forum post. The proposed upgrade aims to simplify Ethereum's execution layer, improve scalability, and significantly enhance zero-knowledge proof efficiency, potentially reducing on-chain execution costs by up to 100 times. Existing EVM smart contracts would remain compatible and operate alongside new RISC-V contracts, with Solidity and Vyper continuing as the main smart contract languages. This proposal comes amid Ethereum's declining base-layer revenue and user migration to layer-2 solutions, driven by competition from blockchains like Solana and Sui. The drop in blob and transaction fees has raised sustainability concerns for Ethereum's infrastructure. Analysts suggest the radical shift may be necessary to ensure Ethereum's ongoing relevance and competitiveness.