When RISC-V tears apart the shackles of EVM, how does a modular architecture unleash the ultimate potential of ZK?

Clearly, many people underestimate the long-term technological innovation impact behind the EVM to RISC-V transition @VitalikButerin. In my opinion, Ethereum may soon witness a new technological narrative-driven cycle of "changing lanes and overtaking".

1. The transition from EVM to RISC-V is not a tactical iteration for Ethereum, but rather a strategic upgrade, perhaps the next revolutionary technological narrative journey following the Layer 2 scaling solutions. Just like the transition from PoW to PoS back in the day, which seemed merely a change of consensus mechanism, it is actually a reshaping of the network's foundation.

The transition of the technology stack centered around EVM to RISC-V is the key to unlocking the next decade of growth for Ethereum. It is not about controversy, but about survival. E Guardian, perhaps the performance of $ETH in this cycle is unsatisfactory, but do not forget the developer community that has built up on Ethereum. Once the technical narrative returns, the latter half of Ethereum's comeback journey is still worth looking forward to.

2. In fact, the fate of EOF (Ethereum Object Format) is a typical example. This technical proposal, which has gone through countless back-and-forths and technical struggles, may ultimately face being abolished? Simply put, EOF optimizes at the EVM software layer, while RISC-V systematically overhauls at the hardware level. Since RISC-V has been chosen, there is naturally no further need for the remaining EOF?

This indicates that Ethereum is rethinking its path towards innovative breakthroughs. The previously sustained layer 2 scaling solution for an entire cycle may become a glorious and great history. In the face of increasing competition from high-performance layer 1 chains, Ethereum has no choice but to seek a true reconstruction of its underlying framework, and getting rid of the outdated and cumbersome EVM virtual machine is a fresh start. From a technological evolution perspective, Ethereum is shifting from "external scaling" to "core innovation", which is the inevitable result of a strategic reversal.

3. ZK (Zero-Knowledge Proof) was once the most brilliant technical narrative on Ethereum, but as of now, the technical value of ZK has only been superficially realized, mainly used for state proofs between Layer 2 and Layer 1, merely touching the tip of the iceberg of ZK's potential.

If RISC-V truly steps onto the historical stage, the new wave of infra iterations and internal competition around Ethereum's technological narrative may have just begun. Consider the previous disputes over layer2 scaling solutions such as Plasma, Rollup, Parallel, Validium, and so on; the diversification of technological solutions itself is also a significant move to promote ecological prosperity. It can be anticipated that solutions around ZK privacy and scaling are likely to become the new theme of internal competition, such as the collision between RISC-V and zkMIPS, the integration and iteration of zkEVM and zkVM, parallel EVM, hardware acceleration, and so on.

4. RISC-V, as a hardware instruction set, intervening in the originally software-level technological updates, is destined to be a more thorough overhaul. It may gradually transform Ethereum from the "block development" approach of continuously piling new patches on the outdated old EVM system into a more flexible ecological combination expansion thinking based on a completely new modular thinking.

This change can be said to mark the beginning of a second spring for the Ethereum technology narrative. Instead of widening and expanding on a dilapidated old path, it is better to directly open up a brand new highway, transitioning from the "monolithic architecture + external scaling" paradigm to "modular architecture + core enhancement."

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Ultimately, I want to reiterate that Ethereum's RISC-V transformation is not simply a technological iteration. As the L2 track becomes increasingly crowded and the narrative dividend gradually diminishes, Ethereum's technical team realizes that only by returning to the innovation of the L1 origin can they break the "layer 2 ecosystem deployment falling short of expectations" dilemma and reshape Ethereum's strategic competitive barrier.

Of course, I know that many people no longer believe in "technological narratives", and even some idealistic developers whom I used to admire have become frustrated and retreated. So, there will definitely be those who think this is yet another beginning of the infra innovation that rolls out the concept of "technological narratives", and there is still no application ecosystem landing? That's right, even so, why not take advantage of it? It's certainly better than the current stagnant situation.