Vitalik Buterin Proposes RISC-V Replacement for Ethereum’s EVM Bytecode

Vitalik Buterin has proposed replacing Ethereum’s EVM bytecode with RISC-V to enhance efficiency and performance. This change would not impact fundamental smart contract functions but would require a new compilation approach for languages like Solidity. The proposal is driven by declining transaction fees and base layer activity, with concerns over Ether’s value. The upcoming “Pectra” upgrade will aim to improve the overall network performance.

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has proposed a significant modification to the network’s execution layer, suggesting the replacement of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode with the RISC-V instruction set. This transformation would not alter core smart contract capabilities such as accounts or storage, but it would change the compilation and execution of contract code. Developers would begin compiling languages like Solidity directly to RISC-V rather than EVM bytecode, with system operations being executed as syscalls instead of traditional opcodes.

The proposal is primarily driven by a noticeable decrease in Ethereum’s base layer activity and revenue. For instance, in the week ending March 30, the network generated merely 3.18 ETH in blob fees, valued at approximately $5,000. Additionally, transaction fees plummeted to an average of $0.16 in April 2025, the lowest levels since 2020, indicating a migration of activity towards layer-2 networks and contract calls instead of base-layer transactions.

Analytics from Token Terminal and Santiment reveal a considerable decline in Ethereum’s fee revenue in early 2025, raising concerns regarding the network’s sustainability and the valuation of Ether. Buterin highlighted that many zero-knowledge (ZK) provers already convert EVM instructions to RISC-V, suggesting that adopting RISC-V natively could boost efficiency by a factor of 100 and streamline proof generation.

To ensure compatibility, existing EVM contracts would coexist alongside new RISC-V-based contracts, potentially through a RISC-V interpreter to execute legacy bytecode or by operating two systems concurrently within the protocol. This evolution may also pave the way for Ethereum to accommodate additional virtual machines, such as Move.

This proposal aligns with the upcoming “Pectra” upgrade on May 7, which is designed to enhance scalability, user experience, and validator limits. Buterin posits that to elevate the execution layer to the same standard as the consensus layer, a more fundamental overhaul is essential.

Fears are mounting that the dwindling base-layer fees will adversely affect Ether’s value. Analysts caution that if the trend of shifting usage persists, Ether’s price may further decline, with potential dips to $1,100. The RISC-V initiative is thus viewed as a crucial and bold strategy to maintain Ethereum’s performance amidst an increasingly competitive blockchain landscape.

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