Tomorrow, February 11, 2026, the first L1-zkEVM workshop will debut a new system that will make block verification faster, cheaper, and more accessible to everyone.
Instead of redoing every transaction in a block, Ethereum will soon rely on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, allowing validators to verify accuracy through cryptographic proofs.
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Why Ethereum could redefine block validation by switching to ZK proof
Ethereum Foundation researcher Ladislaus.eth called it “perhaps one of the most significant” upgrades in the network’s history.
This change is part of the L1-zkEVM 2026 roadmap and focuses on the Selective Proof of Execution (EIP-8025) feature. This allows specific validators, called zkAttesters, to verify blocks using cryptographic proofs instead of verifying every transaction themselves.
Conversion is optional. This means no one will be forced to upgrade and all existing nodes will continue to operate as they do today. But for those who adopt it, there can be significant benefits.
“The first L1-zkEVM breakout call is scheduled for 15:00 UTC on February 11, 2026,” Ladislaus.eth wrote.
Today, validating a block requires re-running every transaction, which takes more time and resources as the network grows.
ZK Proofs allow zkAttester to verify blocks almost instantly without storing the entire blockchain.
This isn’t just about speed. Lowering hardware, storage, and bandwidth requirements makes Ethereum much more accessible.
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Solo stakers and home validators can fully participate using consumer hardware. This decentralizes the network and stays true to the “don’t trust, verify” philosophy.
Higher gas limits and faster execution can also be achieved without pushing smaller participants out of the system.
EIP-8025 emphasizes flexibility and security. Proofs from multiple clients are shared across the network, and validators accept blocks when sufficient independent proofs are confirmed (currently proposed to be 3 out of 5).
This approach makes the network secure, comprehensive, and resistant to centralization while maintaining diversity among client software.
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The agency’s momentum and Tomorrow’s Workshop herald a new era in Ethereum verification.
The timing couldn’t be more appropriate. Institutional adoption of Ethereum is surging in 2026, with Fidelity Digital Assets, Morgan Stanley, Grayscale, BlackRock, and Standard Chartered actively building or investing in the network.
“2026 is off to a fast start for Ethereum. It’s going to be a fun year just one month away,” said David Walsh, Corporate Director of the Ethereum Foundation.
Tokenized assets, stablecoins, and staking products continue to expand, and projects such as the Glamsterdam hard fork (proposer-builder separation with ePBS functionality) support practical implementations of ZK proof generation at L1.
L1-zkEVM development will also benefit layer 2 rollup and zkVM vendors such as ZisK, openVM, and RISC Zero, who are already proving Ethereum blocks. Standardizing the execution watch and ZK VM APIs creates a shared infrastructure so that both L1 validators and L2 protocols can leverage the same attestation.
The workshop on February 11 will cover six key subtopics:
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- Execution monitoring and guest program standardization
- zkVM-guest API standardization
- Consensus Layer Integration
- Prover Infrastructure
- Benchmarking and
- Official verification for security.
This is the official start of Ethereum’s 2026 roadmap to make block validation selective, proof-driven, and much more efficient.
As adoption grows, EIP-8025 will make full validation nodes re-runable on laptops and scale Ethereum’s base layer without sacrificing decentralization or security.
For validators, developers, and users alike, this could be the moment when block verification on Ethereum enters a truly new era.
Tomorrow’s L1-zkEVM workshop promises to be the first glimpse at what could be Ethereum’s most revolutionary architectural leap since The Merge.