Vitalik: Ethereum will transition from a "blockchain" to a "crypto world computer" in the future.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has released a new article titled "The Cryptographic World Computer", stating that after years of technological evolution, Ethereum will gradually become a system with fundamental architectural differences from traditional blockchains. Vitalik points out that Ethereum already has core capabilities including general-purpose computing, proof-of-stake (PoS), zero-knowledge proofs, and layer-2 (L2) scaling. Going forward, it will further introduce adjustable computing architectures, multi-party block construction, highly optimized PoS, and deep integration of zero-knowledge proofs into its base layer. He predicts that by around 2030, Ethereum’s core mechanisms—transaction validation, consensus, block construction, privacy, and computing—will all undergo changes. These shifts include moving away from re-downloading and executing blocks toward SNARK-based validation and PeerDAS for data availability verification; transitioning from proof-of-work (PoW) to highly optimized PoS; and replacing single-party block construction with multi-participant block building. Vitalik notes that the future Ethereum decentralized network will not only serve security and censorship resistance, but also enhance performance through parallel storage, parallel computing, and privacy protection. The Hegota upgrade is likely Ethereum’s last "traditional" hard fork, after which recursive STARKs, automated formal verification, optimized consensus mechanisms, and anti-quantum technologies will become the main development directions. Ultimately, these advances will drive Ethereum to evolve from a mere ledger to a "cryptographic world computer" that integrates blockchain, cryptographic privacy, verifiable computing, and decentralized off-chain components.