Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin claimed the network has solved the blockchain trilemma through zero-knowledge virtual machines and new data-handling technologies.
However, full security implementation remains years away.
In a January 3 post on X, Buterin said the combination of ZK-EVMs and PeerDAS represents a fundamental shift for Ethereum.
He argued the trilemma has been solved "not on paper, but with live running code."
What Happened
The blockchain trilemma refers to the difficulty of achieving decentralization, security and high bandwidth simultaneously.
Buterin stated that PeerDAS is live on mainnet while ZK-EVMs have reached production-quality performance at the alpha stage.
He described the upgraded architecture as "BitTorrent with consensus" in contrast to Bitcoin's model that prioritizes decentralization but struggles with data throughput.
Zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines enable faster transaction verification without exposing underlying data.
PeerDAS changes how Ethereum checks data availability by allowing validators to check small random parts rather than downloading all block data.
Buterin outlined a multi-year implementation timeline extending through the end of the decade.
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Why It Matters
Gas limit increases are expected to begin in 2026 through protocol changes that separate transaction proposers from block builders.
Between 2026 and 2028, developers will introduce gas repricings and state structure modifications.
ZK-EVMs will not become the primary block validation method until between 2027 and 2030 according to Buterin's roadmap.
He emphasized that significant work remains to ensure system safety despite production-quality performance.
Distributed block building remains a long-term goal to prevent centralized control over transaction construction.
The technical pivot comes as Ethereum faces competition from faster, lower-cost blockchains pressuring developers to accelerate scaling solution deployment.
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