On April 20, 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed a major upgrade to the Ethereum network: replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with the RISC-V instruction set architecture. The goal of this proposal is to enhance Ethereum’s performance and scalability while simplifying the execution layer of the network.

Why switch to RISC-V?

Buterin highlighted that the current EVM is becoming a bottleneck for Ethereum’s scalability—especially as technologies like zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs grow in importance. He argued that using RISC-V, an open and flexible instruction set architecture, could improve performance by up to 100x, particularly in generating ZK proofs.

At present, many ZK-EVM systems already translate Ethereum operations into RISC-V before proof generation. Buterin suggested that compiling smart contracts directly to RISC-V would eliminate this intermediate step, boosting efficiency and reducing complexity.

Keeping programming languages and backward compatibility

Buterin’s proposal retains popular programming languages like Solidity and Vyper, changing only the compilation target from EVM to RISC-V. This means developers won’t need to learn new languages, and existing smart contracts will remain compatible. EVM-based contracts will continue functioning and can fully interact with new RISC-V contracts.

Ethereum community reaction

Tomasz K. Stańczak, the new co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, stated that Buterin’s proposal is intended to spark discussion and explore new directions for the network. He emphasized that Buterin’s ideas are not final decisions but a foundation for community review and development.

Conclusion

Transitioning from EVM to RISC-V is a bold move aimed at addressing Ethereum’s performance and scalability challenges. If implemented, it could position Ethereum to compete more effectively with next-gen blockchains like Solana and Sui.