Vitalik Buterin Proposes Removing Modexp Precompile to Address ZK-EVM Scaling Bottlenecks

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has recommended eliminating the modular exponentiation precompile (modexp), a feature he originally helped develop. On November 3, 2025, Buterin said this component creates verification bottlenecks up to 50 times worse than standard blocks when generating zero-knowledge proofs. He suggests replacing it with computationally equivalent EVM code despite higher gas costs.