Vitalik Buterin Targets Ethereum State Tree and VM as Major Bottlenecks, Outlines Deep Architectural Fixes

Vitalik Buterin has outlined major execution-layer changes aimed at Ethereum's state tree and virtual machine, calling them the primary bottlenecks for proof efficiency. His plan highlights EIP-7864's binary state tree, potential adoption of hash functions like BLAKE3 or Poseidon, and a longer-term transition to a RISC-V-based VM. The phased roadmap includes using the new VM for precompiles, then for direct contract deployment, and eventually relegating the EVM to a compatibility layer.