Vitalik Buterin presents an updated Ethereum roadmap with a 7k-fold increase in transactions number

In his blog, co-founder Ethereum Vitalik Buterin presented an updated blockchain roadmap with a focus on expanding Layer 2 and improving scalability while maintaining decentralization and security. The initiative is called The Surge.

Buterin recalled Ethereum’s initial scaling strategies, such as shardingDividing a data store into smaller segments that can be stored on separate servers. and Layer 2 (L2) protocolsA Layer 2 solution is a protocol deployed on top of the main blockchain (Layer 1) and is designed to increase its scalability.. He noted that Ethereum originally had two scaling strategies, which included distributing transactions among different nodes through sharding and using Layer 2 solutions that reduced the load on the main chain.

In 2019, rollups were developedRollups are a way to make the blockchain faster and more efficient. They are based on the idea that most transactions are conducted outside the main network, using L2, and then these transactions are collected together and sent to the blockchain «in packets» to save time and space., which optimized the use of L2 solutions by combining them with sharding, which became the central scaling strategy of Ethereum.

The Surge aims to achieve several key goals: increasing throughput to 100,000+ TPS, preserving L1 decentralization and security, and maximizing interoperability between different L2 solutions. Currently, the Ethereum blockchain’s throughput is 12-15 TPS, which means that it is planned to increase by about 7 thousand times.

One of the main techniques to achieve this goal is Data availability sampling (DAS). This method allows nodes to make sure that the block data is fully available without having to download and store the entire amount of information. Buterin explained that today L1 bandwidth is limited, but the planned introduction of PeerDAS will allow for more efficient data availability testing and higher TPS.

Currently, Ethereum’s rollup technology can process about 174 transactions per second (TPS). With the new PeerDAS technology, the number of processed transactions can increase to 463-926 TPS.

In the medium term, Ethereum aims to process 58,000 TPS by increasing the data size to 16 megabytes per slot and improving the compression of rollup data.

In addition, The Surge roadmap includes data compression technologies and improvements to L2 protocols such as Plasma using SNARKs. Plasma — is a scalable solution in which only a fraction of the Layer 2 data, called the Merkle root, is published on-chain. Merkle root, also known as the root hash, is the highest hash in the Merkle treeA Merkle tree (or hash tree) is an algorithm that allows you to obtain a single hash for many pieces of data. The method is used to determine the integrity of files and verify information.. This is a hash of all data blocks combined and is used to verify data integrity. It is generated by taking the hashes of individual data blocks and combining them.

Buterin also emphasized the need to improve interoperability between different L2 solutions for the convenience of users, including standardizing addresses and simplifying transactions between blockchains.

He noted that decentralization remains a priority. Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) will help prevent the centralization of control in staking.

Also, according to the co-founder of Ethereum, preparations are being made for possible quantum attacks by researching quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. KZG (Kate-Zaverucha-Goldberg) — is a cryptographic method used in the current system. Although KZG is effective now, it may be vulnerable to quantum attacks in the future.

Amid the publication of Buterin’s detailed plan to improve the blockchain, the price of Ethereum (ETH), the native cryptocurrency of Ethereum, rose to $2,618 (up just 8.15% in a week at the time of writing).

Source: Vitalik Buterin’s website