Ethereum Co-Founder Proposes RISC-V for 100x Efficiency Gain

RISC-V, pronounced “risk five,” is a modern open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) based on reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles. Essentially, it serves as a blueprint that defines a set of instructions that a processor can execute. Developed by the University of California in 2010, RISC-V is designed to be highly modular, efficient, and flexible. This open-source framework allows developers to tailor its functionality and use cases, offering cost savings compared to proprietary ISAs like ARM or x86. Its applications range from supercomputers to smartphones and now include blockchains like Ethereum.

On April 20, 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled a “radical” new scaling proposal to replace the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with the RISC-V instruction set architecture. The goal is to enhance the speed and efficiency of the network’s execution layer, addressing one of the primary scaling bottlenecks. Buterin believes that RISC-V is the optimal solution to overcome the blockchain’s scalability constraints. The idea involves replacing the EVM with RISC-V as the virtual machine language for smart contracts, aiming to greatly improve the efficiency and simplicity of the Ethereum execution layer.

Ethereum continues to face challenges such as high transaction fees and reduced transaction volume as users shift to layer 2s for cheaper, faster transactions. This aligns with Ethereum’s scaling strategy post-Merge (2022). Buterin’s proposal to reshape the chain is seen as an opportunity for Ethereum to modernize and retain its dominance as a top smart contracting platform. The inefficient processing of smart contracts and transactions due to single-threaded execution, wasteful computational design, and complex state management has caused network congestion, making the execution layer the main scalability bottleneck.

Adding RISC-V to Ethereum is still a proposal being discussed by the community and network governance. Buterin outlines several approaches to implement the proposal, including running two virtual machines (VMs) or a complete switch to RISC-V. The first idea supports VMs, enabling contracts to be written and executed in either the existing EVM model or RISC-V. Both contract types would have access to functionality such as persistent storage, holding Ether (ETH) balances, and making and receiving calls. An alternative, more radical approach would modify the protocol to convert existing EVM contracts, requiring them to interact with an EVM interpreter while new contracts would be written directly in RISC-V.

A major challenge for such a drastic change is to avoid breaking existing decentralized applications (DApps) and smart contracts. Ethereum cannot risk disrupting existing contracts written in the current EVM code. A transitional solution could involve using an interpreter—a translation layer between different computing languages. This would allow developers to begin building with RISC-V while ensuring legacy EVM contracts continue to function without disruption. In 2022, Ethereum made significant strides in energy efficiency and scalability with “The Merge,” switching from a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake (PoS) by merging the Ethereum mainnet with the Beacon Chain.

If RISC-V causes a major shift in the Ethereum architecture, the benefits would include enhanced performance and processing of Ethereum smart contracts. Buterin suggests that the new architecture could theoretically deliver efficiency gains of 100x, though this number will be hard to reach in reality. The efficiency gains are tied to RISC-V’s suitability for both zero-knowledge (ZK) proof systems and general smart contract execution, as it eliminates EVM overhead. Scalability improvements would largely come from offloading execution to ZK rollups, with RISC-V optimizing the proving process. RISC-V smart contracts could run faster and use fewer computational resources, translating to lower gas fees for end users and enabling the network to handle more users and transactions without slowing down.

RISC-V’s simple, flexible instruction set is better suited for ZK-proof computations than the EVM, which incurs overhead from administrative tasks like gas accounting and state management. Rather than rebuilding the EVM for ZK-proofs, RISC-V offers a streamlined alternative, simplifying the development of ZK-optimized execution layers. This could accelerate Ethereum’s roadmap for privacy and scalability via ZK rollups, making RISC-V a compelling complement to the EVM.

Buterin’s proposal has sparked a lively debate among Ethereum users and developers. It is an ambitious idea that could be a milestone in the development roadmap for the leading smart contract blockchain. Programmer Ben Adams raised concerns about the proposal, noting that while ZK-proof might become more efficient, block building and execution could end up becoming significantly slower. Another anonymous commenter echoed this sentiment, stating that the EVM is very much U256 based, so abstracting down to RISC-V would decrease overall execution performance. Others agreed that RISC-V was a good idea to help reduce bottlenecks but questioned if it was a priority, given the potential technical difficulty and cost.

It’s clear that the proposal still needs clarity and further discussions within the Ethereum community. While the promise is one of radical simplification that drives efficiency and speed, it also introduces a complex technical change. It would require potentially years of dedication to rethinking how the layer-1 blockchain works. As with any decentralized project, the green light doesn’t just rely on technical planning; it needs the consent of the community. So, currently, Buterin’s proposal has opened a wide conversation about any impending development action.