Buterin Advocates for Transition to RISC-V
This week, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed a radical shift in the technical architecture of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). According to him, transitioning to the RISC-V architecture could be a “technological breakthrough” comparable to the launch of the Beacon Chain.
RISC-V is an open instruction set architecture that serves as an alternative to traditional x86 and ARM. It is gaining traction in both hardware and software development thanks to its flexibility, openness, and high optimization potential.
Buterin believes that implementing RISC-V in the EVM could help address several key Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) challenges, such as:
– the limitations of the current ZK-EVM architecture;
– difficulties in ensuring fair and efficient validator competition;
– the need for a more modular and performant smart contract execution system.
He emphasized that developers would still be able to use familiar programming languages like Solidity and Vyper, and that existing contracts would remain compatible. This is crucial to ensure uninterrupted operation of thousands of already deployed dApps on the network.
Though it remains an idea for now, initiatives like this from Buterin could set a new direction for the Ethereum ecosystem and spark the development of a more scalable and flexible infrastructure.
Ethereum Foundation to Focus on L1 and Research
Alongside Buterin’s technical proposals, significant organizational changes have taken place within the Ethereum Foundation (EF).
The foundation recently appointed two new Executive Directors: Xiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stanczak. Both are seasoned Ethereum contributors: Xiao-Wei was instrumental in launching the Beacon Chain, while Tomasz is the founder of Nethermind and a member of the Flashbots team.
According to Stanczak, the EF’s current strategy is to focus on improving L1 scalability, while also supporting UX-focused and infrastructure projects. The main goal is to free Vitalik from operational responsibilities, allowing him to concentrate on research and innovation.
Thanks to this new leadership structure, the EF team hopes to accelerate the rollout of improvements and enhance collaboration with the developer community.
Solana Nearly Matches Ethereum in Staking Volume
While Ethereum is undergoing internal reforms, Solana continues to strengthen its market position.
As of today, the total market value of assets staked on Solana has reached $55.47 billion, nearly equaling Ethereum’s $56.15 billion. Just a few days ago, Solana even briefly surpassed Ethereum in this metric, marking a significant milestone in its rising influence.
Current stats show:
– SOL staking yield — 8.31% annually;
– ETH staking yield — 2.98%.
This difference makes Solana staking particularly attractive for passive investors. Combined with its high throughput and low fees, this strengthens Solana’s position as one of the most competitive alternatives to Ethereum.
The SOL token continues to hold firm around the $100 mark and has shown steady growth. Since the beginning of the year, Solana has outperformed many other blockchains in terms of user activity, new dApps, and transaction volume.
If this momentum continues, Solana is well-positioned to solidify its place in the top 3 blockchains by total market cap.
Ethereum is going through a crucial phase of internal transformation. Technical initiatives like the move to RISC-V and organizational shifts within the Ethereum Foundation could define a new development trajectory. Meanwhile, Solana is delivering strong fundamentals and rapidly closing the gap in key metrics.
In the coming months, the market will be watching closely to see whether Ethereum can accelerate its technical evolution without ceding leadership to ambitious competitors.
