When RISC-V breaks the shackles of EVM, how modular architecture can unleash the ultimate potential of ZK

Obviously, many people underestimate the long-term technological innovation impact behind the EVM to RISC-V @VitalikButerin. In my opinion, Ethereum may usher in a new technological narrative driven cycle of “changing lanes and overtaking”:

1) EVM to RISC-V is not a tactical iteration for Ethereum, but a strategic upgrade. It may be the next revolutionary technical narrative journey after the Layer2 expansion plan. Just like the transition from PoW to PoS, it seems to be just a change of consensus mechanism, but in fact it is a reshaping of the foundation of the network.

The technology stack upgrade centered on EVM to RISC-V is the key to Ethereum’s next 10-year growth cycle. It has nothing to do with controversy, but only with life and death. E-guards, maybe $ETH’s performance in this cycle is not satisfactory, but don’t forget the developer team deposited on Ethereum. Once the technical narrative returns, Ethereum’s counterattack in the second half is still worth looking forward to;

2) In fact, the fate of EOF (Ethereum Object Format) is a typical example. This technical proposal, which has experienced countless tug-of-wars and technical struggles, may eventually face the abolition? Simply put, EOF is an optimization at the EVM software level, while RISC-V is a more systematic overhaul at the hardware level. Since RISC-V has been chosen, there is naturally no need to continue to retain EOF?

This shows that Ethereum is rethinking its path to innovative breakthroughs. The original layer2 expansion plan that lasted for a whole cycle may become a glorious and great history. With more and more high-performance layer1 chains competing, Ethereum has no choice but to seek a real reconstruction of the underlying framework, and changing the old and restrictive EVM virtual machine is a new beginning. From the perspective of technological evolution, Ethereum is shifting from “external expansion” to “core innovation”, which is the inevitable result of a strategic reversal;

3) ZK (zero-knowledge proof) was once the most brilliant technical narrative on Ethereum, but as of now, the technical value of ZK has only been superficially utilized, mainly used for state proof between Layer 2 and Layer 1, and has only touched the tip of the iceberg of ZK’s potential.

If RISC-V really steps onto the historical stage, a new wave of infra changes around Ethereum’s technical narrative may have just begun. Think about the previous disputes over layer 2 expansion solutions, such as Plasma, Rollup, Parallel, Validium, and a series of other technical solutions. The process of diversified development of technical solutions is also an important step in promoting ecological prosperity. It can be expected that solutions around ZK’s privacy and expansion will most likely become the theme of a new round of involution, such as the collision between RISC-V and zkMIPS, the fusion and iteration of zkEVM and zkVM, parallel EVM, hardware acceleration, etc.

4) RISC-V, as a hardware instruction set, intervenes in the original software-level technology change, which is destined to be a more thorough overhaul. It may gradually transform Ethereum from the “building block development” approach of constantly stacking new patches on the backward old EVM system to a more flexible ecological combination expansion approach based on a new modular thinking.

This change can be said to be the beginning of the second spring of Ethereum’s technical narrative. Instead of widening and expanding on a dilapidated old road, it is better to directly open up a brand new highway and shift the paradigm from “monolithic architecture + external expansion” to “modular architecture + core enhancement”;

above.

In the final analysis, I want to reiterate that Ethereum’s RISC-V transformation is not a simple technology iteration. As the L2 track becomes increasingly crowded and the narrative dividend gradually fades, Ethereum’s technical team realizes that only by returning to the original L1 innovation can they break the dilemma of “layer2 ecosystem landing below expectations” and reshape Ethereum’s strategic competitive barriers.

Of course, I know that many people don’t believe in “technical narratives” anymore, and even some idealistic developers I used to admire have become frustrated and retreated. So, some people will definitely think that this is the beginning of another infra innovation that will roll up the concept of “technical narratives”, and what’s the point of not having an application ecosystem? Yes, even so, why not do it? It’s better than the current stagnant water.