Buterin Envisions Radical Transformation of RISC-V for Ethereum
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has suggested replacing Ethereum’s current smart contract language—Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based—with the RISC-V instruction set architecture. His April 20 suggestion aims to transform the execution layer in a bid to make Ethereum faster and more scalable.
Buterin argues that the transition is necessary in order to address Ethereum’s longer-term challenges such as competitive block production, sampling of data availability, and zero-knowledge EVM proving efficiency.
“This sort of radical change may be the only one which will do the trick,” Buterin wrote, referencing the need for the execution layer to match consensus layer simplifications.
Competing with Solana and Sui
Ethereum’s legacy infrastructure is being surpassed by newer, high-performance blockchains like Solana and Sui. These monolithic chains are much more performant, and they put pressure on Ethereum to innovate or be left behind.
The RISC-V architecture, already pervasive in hardware, could bring better optimization opportunities for Ethereum clients and rollups, resulting in improved performance and more efficient zero-knowledge proofs.
Fee Collapse Highlights Usage Decline
Buterin’s suggestion is also timely for Ethereum. Network fees are at their lowest since 2020, averaging a mere $0.16 per transaction in April 2025. Blob fees—Ethereum layer-2 charges—are down to a paltry 3.18 ETH ($5,000) for the week ending March 30.
Experts attribute the fall to reduced base-layer usage as customers shift to layer-2 solutions. While the rollups reduce costs, they also shave revenue on the base layer, raising concerns regarding the future viability of Ethereum.
Market Confidence Erodes
Ethereum’s shrinking fee income and rising competition have dented investor confidence. Ether (ETH) has fallen to $1,580, with some analysts warning of a further drop to $1,100 if confidence erodes further.
Buterin’s ambitious RISC-V proposal might offer an escape route—but also emphasizes the necessity for Ethereum to innovate in a rapidly evolving blockchain world.
