In a new blog post titled “Possible Futures of the Ethereum Protocol, Part 2: The Surge,” Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin describes Ethereum’s transaction processing capacity across Layer 1. It outlined an ambitious roadmap that aims to scale beyond 100,000 transactions per second (TPS). (L1) and layer 2 (L2) solutions. Known as “The Surge,” the plan seeks to improve scalability while maintaining decentralization and security.
Buterin began by reflecting on Ethereum’s initial scaling strategy, which included sharding and layer 2 protocols such as state channels and plasma. He wrote that initially, Ethereum had two expansion strategies on its roadmap. It refers to a 2015 paper discussing sharding, which is a method in which each node only needs to confirm and store a portion of the transaction. This approach mirrors how P2P networks like BitTorrent work.
At the same time, layer 2 protocols were developed to offload computations and data from the main chain while leveraging Ethereum’s security. Rollups emerged in 2019 as a powerful layer 2 solution that requires significant on-chain data bandwidth. “Fortunately, by 2019, sharding research had solved the problem of ensuring ‘data availability’ at scale. As a result, the two paths converged and we got a rollup-centric roadmap that continues to be used as Ethereum’s expansion strategy today,” Buterin explained.
Ethereum Roadmap: Surge
Surge achieves 100,000+ TPS across L1 and L2, maintains the decentralization and robustness of L1, ensures that at least some L2 fully inherits Ethereum’s core properties of trustlessness, openness, and censorship resistance, and maximizes interoperability between them, to name a few. Aim to achieve key objectives. L2 is what makes Ethereum feel like an integrated ecosystem.
One of the key techniques to achieve this goal is data availability sampling (DAS). Currently, Ethereum’s L1 data bandwidth is limited and its rollup TPS is around 174. To break this barrier, Ethereum plans to implement PeerDAS, a one-dimensional sampling format that will allow nodes to efficiently check data availability.
“Our mid-term target is 16 MB per slot. When we combine this with rollup data compression improvements, we can deliver up to 58,000 TPS,” Buterin said. Furthermore, in the future, two-dimensional sampling could be adopted to improve efficiency even with increased complexity. “Much more work is needed to identify the ideal version of 2D DAS and demonstrate its safety,” he added.
Data compression techniques are also important in reducing the data footprint of transactions. This includes aggregating signatures using BLS signatures, replacing addresses with pointers to historical data, and custom serialization for transaction values. “We can therefore represent most currency values very concisely, using custom decimal floating-point formats or, in particular, dictionaries of common values,” Buterin suggested.
Generalized Plasma is another important component of The Surge. Plasma allows off-chain transactions with on-chain security guarantees. By incorporating Succinct Non-interactive Arguments of Knowledge (SNARK), Plasma can become more powerful and general. “Even if we can only protect a subset of assets (…) it is already a significant improvement over the current state of the art of hyperscalable EVMs,” he said.
Buterin also emphasized the need for mature L2 proof systems. Most rollups today are not completely trustless and rely on a security council that can override the attestation system. He emphasized the importance of reaching a “second stage” rollup that is completely unreliable and secure. This involves formal verification using mathematical techniques to prove that the proof system matches the EVM specifications.
“We can create a SNARK prover that is formally verified for a minimal number of VMs,” he explained. Additionally, deploying a multi-attestation system, or “multiple provers,” ensures redundancy and security. Buterin emphasized that “if the certification system agrees, the Security Council has no power.”
Improving interoperability between L2s is also a key focus. One major challenge is making the L2 ecosystem seamless for users. Buterin notes several initiatives, such as chain-specific addresses containing chain identifiers to simplify inter-L2 transactions, standardized payment requests for easy and secure payment requests across multiple chains, and the development of protocols such as ERC-7683 and RIP-7755 for efficiency. Several improvements were suggested: Asset exchange and gas payment.
Buterin also advocated for light clients and key storage wallets to allow users to verify chains without relying on RPC providers and simplify key management across chains. Buterin argued that “the ability to deal successfully with this problem will be a test of our ability to come together as a community.”
Although L2 scaling is important, L1 hardening remains critical to the security and economic viability of Ethereum. Buterin discussed strategies such as increasing gas limits, making certain operations cheaper through proposals such as EVM Object Format (EOF), and exploring native rollups. “The big question that needs to be answered in any L1 extension roadmap is: What is the ultimate vision for what belongs in L1 and what belongs in L2?” He struck a pose emphasizing the need for balance to maintain Ethereum’s core strengths.
Buterin concluded, “Our mission now is to complete our rollup-centric roadmap and address these challenges while maintaining the robustness and decentralization that make Ethereum L1 special.”
At press time, ETH was trading at $2,625.
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