Ethereum News Today: Ethereum Prioritizes Sub-One-Hour L2 Withdrawals Over Stage 2 Decentralization

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has shifted the focus of Ethereum’s development roadmap, prioritizing sub-one-hour withdrawal times from layer-2 (L2) solutions over advancing to Stage 2 L2 decentralization. In a recent post on X, Buterin emphasized that while major L2 rollups such as Base, Optimism, Unichain, Scroll, Ink, and Kinto have all completed Stage 1 upgrades, the next step should be to significantly reduce the time it takes to move assets from L2 back to the Ethereum mainnet [1].

Currently, the process of withdrawing assets from L2 to L1 can take up to a week unless third-party intermediaries are used. Buterin pointed out that this delay creates friction for users and liquidity providers, and it also pushes them toward less decentralized bridging solutions, such as multisignature wallets or multi-party computation (MPC) systems, which undermine Ethereum’s core principles [1].

Historically, optimistic rollups were preferred over ZK (zero-knowledge) proofs because the latter were too immature and costly. However, Buterin noted that ZK technology has advanced to a point where it is now viable for Ethereum-compatible rollups to offer faster and more secure execution. He cited ethproofs.org as a resource tracking these developments [1].

To accelerate withdrawals, Buterin proposed a hybrid “2-of-3” proof system that combines ZK proofs, optimistic proofs, and trusted execution environment (TEE) components. Under this model, any two of the three would be sufficient to validate a withdrawal, offering a secure and fast alternative [1].

Despite progress in ZK proof technology, Buterin acknowledged that a remaining challenge is the high gas cost of submitting large ZK proofs on-chain. As these costs decrease, Ethereum could potentially settle multiple rollups every 12 seconds, enabling near-instant movement of assets across L2s via the L1 [1].

Buterin’s vision extends beyond one-hour withdrawals. With further improvements in proof aggregation—combining multiple ZK rollup proofs into one—Ethereum could transform the L1 into a high-speed settlement hub, reducing reliance on centralized bridges and reinforcing Ethereum’s role as the central economic and security anchor of the ecosystem [1].

This strategic realignment reflects a broader architectural evolution of Ethereum, balancing user experience, security, and scalability. By prioritizing faster withdrawals, the network is taking a critical step toward ensuring that Ethereum remains the dominant and trusted foundation of its expanding ecosystem [1].

Source:

[1] title: Ethereum should focus on reducing liquidity withdrawal ... (https://www.cryptopolitan.com/ethereum-liquidity-withdrawal-under-1-hour/)