Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin presented the "Lean Ethereum" roadmap — the third major iteration of the network, comparable in significance to the transition to Proof-of-Stake (The Merge). This is not about a single hard fork, but a series of deep architectural changes that will be implemented over 3–4 years and will affect virtually every key component of the blockchain.
The presentation of the updated strategy took place after a closed meeting of Ethereum researchers in Berlin, which continued April discussions with development teams. Buterin emphasized: Lean Ethereum is not a revolution, but an evolution — albeit a radical one.
Paradigm Shift: From Re-execution to STARK Proofs
The main vector of change is replacing direct re-execution of transactions with recursive STARK proofs. This fundamentally changes the validation model, making it more efficient and less costly. In parallel, all elements vulnerable to quantum computing will be replaced with quantum-resistant counterparts — a task the team has been working on for several months.
Special attention is given to privacy. According to Buterin, it has ceased to be a secondary task and is now a first-order priority. When designing new components, developers directly ask: how do private transactions pass through them without intermediaries?
New State Model: A Hybrid Approach
The most controversial and radical part of the plan involves changes to how the network state is handled. Consensus has formed around a hybrid approach: the current state type will remain almost unchanged and will grow moderately, but new state types will be added in parallel that scale much better.
Buterin provided a specific configuration for 2030: 2 TB of old-type state and 100 TB of new-type state. The new format is ideal for ERC20 tokens, NFTs, and most DeFi scenarios, but is not suitable for complex "central" objects like Uniswap contracts or on-chain order books. Rewriting applications is not mandatory, but it will be highly beneficial: moving ERC20 to the new storage type could reduce fees by more than ten times.
Scaling and Security
Over the next five years, we can expect an increase in the gas limit, a rise in the number of blobs, and a reduction in block time. A major gas limit increase is expected with the Glasterdam upgrade. However, each scaling step, according to Buterin, depends on when it becomes safe to implement.
Additionally, formal verification of all components, a multi-dimensional fee model, and changes to client architecture are planned. All of this will be done with minimal disruption to existing applications.
Cryptalist Analysis: Lean Ethereum is not just an upgrade, but a fundamental restructuring of the network to meet the challenges of the next decade. Shifting focus to STARK proofs and quantum resilience is a strategically sound move that will strengthen Ethereum's position as the base layer for the global financial system. However, the hybrid approach to state creates a risk of fragmentation: developers will have to choose between old and new formats, which could slow down migration. The key question is whether the team will manage to implement all changes before quantum computing becomes a real threat.