10X for Ethereum? Vitalik Buterin lays the foundations for an L1 revolution
Ethereum is often seen as a promise machine. With each update, expectations grow, but so does criticism. Many see it as always "coming soon" without delivering.
Vitalik Buterin is eagerly pushing forward. He aims for a big change in the next year. He believes it is time for Ethereum to genuinely transform.
In short, Vitalik Buterin plans to increase Ethereum's Layer 1 by ten times in a year and a half. The main steps include raising the gas limit and introducing stateless clients. Protecting decentralization and resisting censorship remain top priorities. High costs on Layer 2 are pushing Ethereum to strengthen its main layer.
At ETHGlobal in Prague, Buterin made a clear statement. He announced a massive jump in Ethereum's scaling ability—ten times—within just over a year. This news comes after a slow period for ETH. It has lifted hopes and also increased doubts.
The key challenge is clear: Ethereum needs to grow faster. More calls for a bigger Layer 1 are spreading. But Buterin stresses caution over hype. He says it’s a good moment to pause and focus on maintaining decentralization.
This plan isn’t about making noise. It’s about serious changes. Vitalik wants Ethereum ready for new challenges without upsetting what works now.
To reach this goal, Ethereum is using several tools. First, the gas limit has already gone from 30 to 36 million. But this is just the start. The core of the plan involves making clients stateless, redesigning the Ethereum Virtual Machine, and optimizing deeply.
The goal isn’t only to go faster. It’s to keep resistance to censorship, decentralization, and network strength. These upgrades take time because they must withstand real-world pressure.
Buterin warns that high costs, especially for transfers between layers or large exits, can spike during congestion. He wants to prevent this while protecting key values.
This is a chance to check if Ethereum stays decentralized. The right tools are there, but every decision carries an ideological weight.
With such a big plan, Ethereum hopes to change its path. This could lift ETH, which has often struggled during slow times. As scalability improves, interest from institutions grows.
Some, like SharpLink Gaming, plan to buy $2 billion in ETH. This signals strong confidence. But the network must deliver results. Critics point to missed promises, slow progress, and unclear plans. Still, change is happening. The network is redesigning itself to support multiple layers.
Here are some key figures:
The gas limit went from 30 million to 36 million in May 2025.
The average cost to move assets across layers is about $4.50.
A full transfer between layers costs nearly $14.
The goal is to cut fees to just $0.28 with six times more scaling.
During a crisis, Layer 2 exits could support up to 32 million users.
These numbers show how big the challenge is, but they also point the way forward. If these plans succeed, Ethereum could lead the next phase of decentralized finance.