Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, has proposed a revolutionary shift in the network’s architecture, proposing the adoption of RISC-V as an alternative to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This move is not solely about technical advancements but also a strategic response to Ethereum’s current limitations. Facing stiff competition from next-generation chains like Solana and Sui, which offer superior speed and throughput, Buterin believes this change could significantly boost Ethereum’s performance. He suggests that RISC-V’s low-level efficiency and flexibility could unlock significant improvements in computational power, especially for zero-knowledge applications and future block production mechanisms. While the consensus layer is on track for simplification via innovations like beam chains, the execution layer remains a bottleneck. Buterin argues that RISC-V could offer the crucial performance boost Ethereum requires to scale its operations.