Ethereum’s “The Splurge” is dedicated to making incremental improvements that are crucial for the success of the protocol. In Vitalik Buterin’s latest segment, part 6, he highlights the exciting changes that lie ahead for the future of Ethereum. These improvements may not neatly fit into specific categories, but they play a vital role in the overall success of the protocol.
Vitalik’s vision focuses on refining the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and enhancing user accounts through account abstraction. The goal is to improve code execution and efficiency, as well as transaction fee structures and advanced cryptography.
As Ethereum continues to evolve, it prioritizes essential features such as the EVM Object Format (EOF), account abstraction, and enhancements to EIP-1559. Each of these elements offers significant benefits but also presents unique challenges and trade-offs.
“The Splurge” aims to bring the EVM to a stable and high-performance level. The current focus is on transitioning to the EVM Object Format (EOF), which will streamline code execution and improve overall efficiency. By separating code from data, restricting dynamic jumps, and introducing a new subroutine mechanism, EOF will enable the development of modular arithmetic operations and other improvements that can accelerate cryptographic functions.
Account abstraction is another crucial area of development. Vitalik emphasizes the need to enable users to pay transaction fees using ERC20 tokens, making it more accessible and convenient for everyone involved. Currently, transaction verification relies solely on ECDSA signatures, limiting flexibility.
While EIP-1559 has improved the speed of block inclusion, challenges remain in adjusting the speed and efficiency of gas pricing mechanisms. Proposed changes include a multidimensional gas model, allowing separate pricing for different resources. This approach aims to streamline the gas mechanism and address discrepancies between average and worst-case scenarios.
Researchers are also exploring verifiable delay functions (VDFs) to provide a more reliable source of randomness for Ethereum. The goal is to replace the less secure RANDAO-based randomness with a more robust solution. However, creating an efficient VDF that can resist unexpected optimizations and prevent attacks poses a significant challenge.
Overall, “The Splurge” demonstrates Ethereum’s commitment to iteratively refining its core functionalities. By focusing on these enhancements, Ethereum aims to strengthen its infrastructure, enhance user security, and increase scalability for future applications.
