Vitalik outlines the execution layer roadmap, involving state trees and virtual machine changes

SmartContractAuditor · 2026-03-02T00:16:08+00:00

Vitalik shared on social media a roadmap for the execution layer focused on the state tree and virtual machine. The state tree will be upgraded to an efficient binary tree structure through EIP-7864 to reduce verification costs; meanwhile, the virtual machine plans to improve execution efficiency using the RISC-V architecture, gradually replacing the EVM.

SmartContractAuditor

2026-03-02 00:16:08

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Odaily Planet Daily News: Vitalik posted on social media outlining the execution layer roadmap, focusing on two adjustments: the state tree and the virtual machine. Regarding the state tree, it supports upgrading the current hexadecimal Merkle Patricia tree to a binary tree structure based on a more efficient hash function through EIP-7864. This shortens Merkle branch lengths and reduces verification bandwidth costs. The hash functions can include Blake3 or the Poseidon series. The binary tree scheme also groups storage slots into pages to lower the cost of adjacent storage access and reserves metadata bits for future state expiration features.

For the virtual machine, Vitalik Buterin proposed a long-term direction to replace the EVM, potentially adopting a RISC-V architecture. The new virtual machine needs to improve execution and proof efficiency, support client-side generation of ZK proofs, and simplify code implementation. The deployment plan includes first replacing precompiled contracts, then supporting new virtual machine contract deployment, and ultimately achieving backward compatibility while gradually replacing the EVM.

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