I noticed that Vitalik recently shared important details about the technical roadmap for the execution layer in Ethereum, and the topic truly deserves attention.

The first part concerns redesigning the entire state tree function. The idea here is to move from the current hexary Merkle Patricia structure to a more efficient binary tree structure, which is what EIP-7864 proposes. Instead of traditional hash functions, better algorithms such as Blake3 or a Poseidon chain will be used. The direct result: a significant reduction in the length of Merkle branches, which means lower costs for verification bandwidth.

There’s another important aspect as well—the binary tree plan will unify storage cells into pages, which reduces access costs for adjacent storage. The smart part is retaining Metadata bits, which will enable a future state expiration feature.

As for the virtual machine, the long-term vision is clear: gradually replacing the EVM. Vitalik indicates that the new architecture may rely on RISC-V, a bold technical step. The goal is to improve both execution efficiency and proof efficiency, enabling the creation of client-side ZK proofs, which simplifies overall code execution.

The deployment roadmap is clear as well: first replace precompiled contracts, then support contracts on the new virtual machine, and finally achieve backward compatibility and a gradual EVM replacement. This phased approach reflects reasonable caution in development.

These technical updates are not just marginal improvements—they represent a fundamental rebuild of the network’s efficiency. If you want to keep up with Ethereum’s technical developments, these steps are worth serious monitoring.