Vitalik Buterin's 2030 Vision for Ethereum as a Cryptographic World Computer

Vitalik Buterin's vision for Ethereum describes a network moving from a system where every verifier repeats computations to one where data is sampled and execution is checked with compact proofs. Part of this vision, such as PeerDAS, has already been shipped with the Fusaka upgrade, allowing validators to sample blob data rather than downloading all of it.

However, the broader execution shift towards base-layer zkEVM remains a development goal for around 2030. While cryptographic proofs make it significantly cheaper to verify transactions, they do not automatically solve challenges related to data availability, transaction ordering, or sequencer censorship.

Ultimately, Buterin's essay serves as an architectural direction rather than a final protocol specification. The network still relies on client teams, researchers, and decentralised infrastructure to ensure that ordinary nodes can independently verify rules without compromising on security or decentralisation.