Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has publicly called for a major overhaul of the network's long-term roadmap, explicitly moving away from the previously dominant “rollup-centric” strategy. This shift stems from disappointment with current Layer 2 (L2) progress and recognition of Layer 1 (L1) scalability enhancements.
From Rollup-Centric to L2 Spectrum
Buterin noted that the original vision of L2 as branded sharding is no longer feasible, partly due to regulatory constraints that make fully decentralized L2 compliance costly, combined with L1's direct scalability improvements through historical data growth and upcoming gas limit increases expected by 2026. He suggests viewing L2 as a continuous spectrum, allowing users to choose varying degrees of connectivity based on their needs rather than enforcing a uniform rollup standard.
L2's Future: Beyond Scalability
Buterin emphasized that L2 should not be confined to transaction throughput competition. He encourages developers to explore unique value propositions including: privacy, non-EVM virtual machine architectures, extreme scalability, ultra-low latency, and built-in oracles. These directions would allow L2 to offer advantages L1 cannot match in specific use cases, fostering differentiation.
Technical Improvements: Native Rollups & In-Situ ZK-EVM
Technically, Buterin calls for the Ethereum core team to advance native rollup precompiled contracts to reduce L2-L1 interaction costs. He also supports leveraging built-in ZK-EVM for full EVM verification without relying on security councils. This move would greatly enhance interoperability across L2s and improve user trust in transaction security transparency.
Market and Community Reaction
Buterin's remarks have sparked widespread discussion. Some developers consider the shift too radical, potentially destabilizing the Ethereum ecosystem, while others support embracing diversity as a necessary response to growing competition from chains like Solana and Avalanche. At press time, ETH traded around $3,220 with a minor 0.25% fluctuation, indicating cautious market sentiment.
Going forward, the Ethereum Foundation and core developers must converge on a new roadmap. If Buterin's vision takes hold, Ethereum could evolve into a more decentralized, multifunctional ecosystem rather than a monolithic rollup-dominated landscape.