Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has stirred the cryptocurrency waters once again. On April 20, 2025, he unveiled a proposal to replace Ethereum’s existing virtual machine with the RISC-V instruction set architecture. This move, he argues, could dramatically enhance the network’s execution layer, potentially revolutionizing Ethereum’s scalability and efficiency. This proposal aligns with Buterin’s broader vision for Ethereum’s future, as discussed in Vitalik Buterin’s vision for Ethereum: Pectra, Glamsterdam and beyond.
Understanding RISC-V
RISC-V, a modern open-source instruction set architecture, is built on reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles. Think of it as a flexible blueprint that allows developers to tailor processor functionality to specific needs. Originally developed by the University of California in 2010, RISC-V offers a modular, cost-effective alternative to proprietary architectures like ARM or x86. This adaptability makes it suitable for a wide range of applications—from supercomputers to smartphones and now, possibly, blockchains like Ethereum.
A Bold Proposal
Vitalik Buterin’s proposal to adopt RISC-V as Ethereum’s virtual machine language is nothing short of radical. Ethereum, despite being a leading smart contract platform, grapples with high transaction fees and reduced transaction volumes—a byproduct of its current execution model. Buterin believes that integrating RISC-V could resolve these bottlenecks.
“RISC-V aims to significantly improve the efficiency of Ethereum’s execution layer, addressing one of the primary scaling challenges,” Buterin stated. His vision involves either running two virtual machines—supporting both the existing EVM model and RISC-V—or entirely replacing the EVM with RISC-V. The latter approach would require existing contracts to interact with an EVM interpreter, while new contracts would be crafted directly in RISC-V.
The Potential Payoff
Transitioning to RISC-V could enhance Ethereum’s smart contracts by delivering substantial efficiency gains. While Buterin suggests these improvements could be as much as 100x, even modest gains would be impactful. The real advantage lies in RISC-V’s compatibility with zero-knowledge (ZK) proof systems, optimizing both smart contract execution and the proving process in zkEVM or similar rollups.
If implemented, RISC-V could lower gas fees, increase transaction throughput, and reduce network congestion. Its simple, flexible instruction set is particularly suited for ZK-proof computations, streamlining Ethereum’s path to greater privacy and scalability. This potential for enhanced scalability is drawing interest from Ethereum bulls, as noted in Ethereum bulls show interest as traders’ confidence in ETH’s $1.8K level improves.
Challenges and Community Reactions
Buterin’s ambitious proposal has ignited spirited discussions among Ethereum developers and users. While the potential benefits of RISC-V are clear, the transition poses significant technical challenges. Programmer Ben Adams voiced concerns about the trade-offs, suggesting that while ZK-proving might become more efficient, block building and execution could suffer.
“The risk here is that ZK-proving may get better, but block building and execution will deteriorate significantly,” Adams warned. Echoing this sentiment, another developer noted that abstracting Ethereum’s U256-based system down to RISC-V could decrease overall execution performance.
Some community members agree that RISC-V could alleviate bottlenecks but question its priority given the technical complexity and cost. “Is this the set of priorities we want to solve for, especially given the scale of technical cost here?” wondered Adam Cochran, reflecting a broader skepticism within the community.
Looking Forward
Buterin’s RISC-V proposal is still in the discussion phase, and its fate hinges on further deliberations within the Ethereum community. While the potential for streamlined efficiency and speed is tantalizing, the path to implementation is fraught with technical hurdles and requires community consensus.
As Ethereum continues to evolve, the conversation around RISC-V highlights the ongoing tension between innovation and practicality in the blockchain space. Whether this ambitious idea will materialize into a concrete development action remains an open question, but one thing is certain: it has sparked a lively debate and invited the community to rethink the future of Ethereum’s architecture.
Source
This article is based on: What is RISC-V, and why does Vitalik Buterin want it for Ethereum smart contracts?
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Steve Gregory is a lawyer in the United States who specializes in licensing for cryptocurrency companies and products. Steve began his career as an attorney in 2015 but made the switch to working in cryptocurrency full time shortly after joining the original team at Gemini Trust Company, an early cryptocurrency exchange based in New York City. Steve then joined CEX.io and was able to launch their regulated US-based cryptocurrency. Steve then went on to become the CEO at currency.com when he ran for four years and was able to lead currency.com to being fully acquired in 2025.
