Ethereum's "ZK Endgame": From World Computer to Verifiable World Computer

The blog post "Delivering L1 zkEVM #1: Real-Time Proof" recently published by Ethereum engineer Sophia Gold has attracted widespread attention. Although this only represents the technical vision of the Ethereum core development team and has not yet officially entered the EIP process, the signals it conveys cannot be ignored.

This article outlines the core development blueprint for the future of Ethereum: fully integrating zero-knowledge proof technology at all levels of the Layer 1 protocol, achieving comprehensive coverage from the consensus layer to the execution layer. According to this technical roadmap, the first step is to upgrade the EVM of each node to zkEVM. In this way, nodes can generate zero-knowledge proofs synchronously while executing transactions and running smart contracts, providing verification basis for validating nodes.

This is not an ordinary technological iteration, but an architectural revolution comparable to "The Merge", aimed at fundamentally addressing the multiple challenges Ethereum faces in scalability, security, and economic models. So, why has Ethereum chosen to "fully bet" on ZK at this moment? What deeper logic lies behind this strategic shift? How will it reshape the L1 and even the entire L2 ecosystem?

1. Paradigm Shift from "Re-execution" to "Proof Verification"

The core concept of ZKification of Ethereum lies in the paradigm shift of the consensus verification mechanism. The L1 zkEVM roadmap provides a clear technical path for this transformation.

• Current model: Re-execute
• Future Model: Proof Verification

In the new L1 zkEVM architecture, block builders produce a concise ZK validity proof simultaneously while generating blocks. Other validators, upon receiving the block and the proof, only need to verify this cryptographic proof. Since the computational cost of verifying a ZK Proof is several orders of magnitude lower than re-executing transactions, and more importantly, the time required to verify a proof is almost independent of the number of transactions covered by that proof, this allows Ethereum to significantly increase the gas limit of blocks to accommodate more transactions without significantly raising the hardware threshold for validators.

The future Ethereum L1 is architecturally very similar to a massive, native ZK-Rollup, which makes Ethereum L1 itself expected to become "the largest ZK application in the world."

The Ethereum team has set extremely rigorous technical standards for the implementation of L1 zkEVM, ensuring security and decentralization commitments while reducing latency and increasing throughput.

To prevent potential unknown vulnerabilities in a single zkEVM implementation, this roadmap introduces a "multi-proof" security mechanism. It requires that the validity of the same block must be proven by multiple zkEVMs from different teams. The validator's client will download and verify these proofs from different sources. Only when multiple independent proofs are successfully verified will the consensus layer accept the block.

2. Why must Ethereum be "fully ZK"?

Ethereum fully embraces zero-knowledge proof technology, which is a major strategic transformation based on deep thinking about its economic model, competitive environment, and future market demand.

• This is an important revision to the "L2-centric" economic model.
• This is an asymmetric strategy to cope with the competition of high-performance public chains.
• This is a forward-looking layout to welcome the wave of RWA and institutional finance.

3. ZK Finality in Action

The ZK endgame of Ethereum has long been revealing clues:

• In April 2025, Vitalik Buterin proposed to replace the existing EVM with the RISC-V instruction set architecture.
• In June 2025, Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake announced that Ethereum will "fully bet on ZK" for L1 scaling.

The ZK finale of Ethereum is by no means just "talking the talk". The various difficulties hindering the practical application of ZK technology are being tackled one by one:

• In terms of proof speed, thanks to the development of next-generation proof algorithms and hardware acceleration technologies, the generation time of ZK proofs has been significantly shortened.
• In terms of compatibility, zkEVM has achieved near-perfect EVM equivalence.

4. ROLLUP Ecological Transformation

The comprehensive ZKification of Ethereum L1 will fundamentally reshape the competitive landscape of Layer 2:

• The proposal of "native Rollup" has brought security enhancements, true EVM equivalence, and cost-effectiveness improvements to ZK Rollup.
• Optimistic Rollups face survival challenges, but leading ORU projects are actively adapting, transforming potential conflicts into technical convergence.

V. Systemic Impact

The impact of this transformation is systemic, encompassing performance, decentralization, and economic models:

• Performance Vision: The total TPS of L1 + L2 is expected to exceed 10,000.
• New economic division of labor: fostering the specialization of validators and verifiers.
• ETH value capture reshaping: stronger L1 can accommodate more high-value transactions, driving up transaction fees.
• Synergy with Danksharding: Together forming Ethereum's "dual-drive" scaling strategy.

Conclusion: Moving Towards a Verifiable World Computer

The strategic transformation of Ethereum towards full ZK is another decisive moment in its development history. It profoundly confirms Ethereum's role as the global ultimate settlement layer, provides a unique solution to the "impossible triangle" problem, optimizes the economic model of ETH, and leads the entire L2 ecosystem towards maturity.

Ethereum is evolving from a "world computer" into a "verifiable world computer." By deeply embedding cryptographic truths into its core, Ethereum is not only paving the way for its own future but also building a more secure, trustworthy, and scalable foundation for the future of the entire decentralized world. The ZK finale is Ethereum's most steadfast commitment to this future.