Ethereum Prepares for Radical Update: Merkle Roadmap and New Virtual Machine

Vitalik Buterin recently revealed the future directions for the execution layer in Ethereum, marking a pivotal step toward improving network performance and efficiency. This roadmap centers around two main pillars: developing a state storage system and redesigning the virtual machine, both aimed at reducing costs and increasing processing speed.

State Tree Upgrade: From Merkle Patricia to Binary Tree

The first update focuses on restructuring the current state tree system. Ethereum currently relies on a hexary Merkle Patricia structure, but the new plan aims to transition to a binary tree built on more efficient hash functions through the EIP-7864 proposal. This shift offers several immediate benefits:

Significantly reducing the length of Merkle branches, which lowers bandwidth requirements for proof verification. Advanced hash functions like Blake3 or Poseidon can be used, providing better performance compared to existing systems.

Additionally, the binary tree plan will group storage cells into organized pages, reducing the cost of accessing neighboring storage data. The design retains metadata bits, paving the way for activating state expiration features in the future.

Replacing the Execution Mechanism: Toward a More Efficient Virtual Machine

The second part of the roadmap involves virtual machines. Vitalik Buterin proposed replacing the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) long-term with a new architecture, potentially based on RISC-V, an open-source architecture known for its efficiency.

The proposed virtual machine should achieve several specific goals:

Significantly improve execution efficiency and enhance proof efficiency for complex operations. Support easier and faster creation of ZK proofs by clients. Simplify and facilitate code and application execution on the platform.

Implementation Plan: Phased and Gradual Transition

A radical immediate change is not proposed; instead, the approach includes a multi-stage deployment plan:

Phase One: Replace pre-compiled contracts with new functions. Phase Two: Support deploying and copying new contracts on the updated virtual machine. Phase Three: Achieve full backward compatibility and gradually replace EVM safely.

This phased approach ensures network stability and security during the transition period, reflecting the team’s commitment to developing Ethereum in a sustainable and reliable manner.