{"id":92878,"date":"2026-01-05T12:42:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T09:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=92878"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:45:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T09:45:54","slug":"vitalik-buterin-ethereum-is-overcoming-the-scaling-trilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/vitalik-buterin-ethereum-is-overcoming-the-scaling-trilemma\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum is overcoming the scaling trilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The network of the second-largest cryptocurrency is successfully overcoming the <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-the-blockchain-trilemma\">blockchain trilemma<\/a> thanks to advances in <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-is-zkevm\">zkEVM<\/a> and the launch of PeerDAS, according to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Now that ZKEVMs are at alpha stage (production-quality performance, remaining work is safety) and PeerDAS is live on mainnet, it&#8217;s time to talk more about what this combination means for Ethereum.<\/p>\n<p>These are not minor improvements; they are shifting Ethereum into being a\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VitalikButerin\/status\/2007559523528233041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He expects the first nodes of a new type to appear as early as 2026, alongside higher gas limits. Between 2027 and 2030, zkEVM should become \u201cthe main validation standard\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The long-term aim remains a shift to distributed block production \u2014 reducing centralisation risks and creating a level playing field for participants from any region.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Now that Ethereum has PeerDAS and zkEVM solutions (small parts of the network are expected to use them in 2026), we get: decentralised consensus and high throughput,&#8221; \u2014 Buterin said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In his view, the blockchain trilemma is effectively solved, as the required technologies already run on mainnet or \u201chave reached production-level performance; only their safety remains.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling) is a data-availability sampling technique that became a key component of the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/fusaka-hard-fork-goes-live-on-ethereum-mainnet\">Fusaka<\/a> upgrade. The protocol reduces node load and boosts the blockchain\u2019s overall performance.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Record on-chain metrics<\/h2>\n<p>Ethereum\u2019s network activity remains elevated. Alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ethereum-daily-transactions-hit-record-2-2-million\">record transaction demand<\/a>, the number of active addresses is rising:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-0c129f53bdce0a94-2822138873037961.webp\" alt=\"active_addr_monthly\" class=\"wp-image-272958\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The monthly count of active addresses has surpassed 10 million, setting a new all-time high. Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/tokenterminal.com\/explorer\/projects\/ethereum?interval=max\">Token Terminal<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On-chain transfers in <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-are-stablecoins\">stablecoins<\/a> set a new record in the fourth quarter, topping $8 trillion.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1018\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35465365f5d383d3-2822167896601185-1018x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"stables_vol\" class=\"wp-image-272959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35465365f5d383d3-2822167896601185-1018x1024.jpeg 1018w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35465365f5d383d3-2822167896601185-298x300.jpeg 298w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35465365f5d383d3-2822167896601185-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35465365f5d383d3-2822167896601185-768x772.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-35465365f5d383d3-2822167896601185.jpeg 1061w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Quarterly volume of stablecoins transferred on the Ethereum network. Source: Token Terminal, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BMNRBullz\/status\/2007988977639342278\">X account of user BMNR Bullz<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/blockworks.com\/analytics\/ethereum\/ethereum-stablecoins\">Blockworks<\/a>, in 2025 the supply of stablecoins on Ethereum grew by roughly 43% \u2014 from $127 billion to $181 billion.<\/p>\n<p>X user BMNR Bullz noted that this trend reflects real asset use rather than speculation.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;These are global on-chain payments [\u2026]. The infrastructure is already in place, adoption is accelerating,&#8221; \u2014 he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">King of tokenisation<\/h2>\n<p>Ethereum leads activity in tokenising real-world assets (<a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/what-are-rwas-real-world-assets\">RWA<\/a>). The platform\u2019s share of the segment, worth over $19 billion, is about 65%.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"384\" data-id=\"272960\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-a0f7c0cad9ee57e2-2822237649361336-1024x384.png\" alt=\"RWA1\" class=\"wp-image-272960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-a0f7c0cad9ee57e2-2822237649361336-1024x384.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-a0f7c0cad9ee57e2-2822237649361336-300x113.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-a0f7c0cad9ee57e2-2822237649361336-768x288.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-a0f7c0cad9ee57e2-2822237649361336-1536x576.png 1536w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-a0f7c0cad9ee57e2-2822237649361336-2048x768.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/app.rwa.xyz\/networks\">RWA<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-id=\"272961\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-3d7444aac8c0bafa-2822237640826025.webp\" alt=\"RWA2\" class=\"wp-image-272961\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/app.rwa.xyz\/networks\">RWA<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"348\" data-id=\"272962\" src=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-125183691cac639e-2822237659810584-1024x348.png\" alt=\"RWA3\" class=\"wp-image-272962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-125183691cac639e-2822237659810584-1024x348.png 1024w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-125183691cac639e-2822237659810584-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-125183691cac639e-2822237659810584-768x261.png 768w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-125183691cac639e-2822237659810584-1536x522.png 1536w, https:\/\/forklog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/img-125183691cac639e-2822237659810584-2048x696.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/app.rwa.xyz\/networks\">RWA<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Stablecoins worth $170 billion have been issued on the Ethereum network. TRON ranks second with $81 billion, and Solana third with $14 billion.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of writing, Ethereum trades around $3160. Over the past seven days the asset has risen by 4.8%, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coingecko.com\/\">CoinGecko<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, for the first time since July, the queue to stake ether <a href=\"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/news\/ethereum-staking-queue-doubles-withdrawal-requests\">was larger<\/a> than the queue to withdraw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ethereum, the second-largest crypto network, is overcoming the blockchain trilemma thanks to zkEVM progress and PeerDAS, said co-founder Vitalik Buterin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"1","news_style_id":"1","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"Buterin says zkEVMs and PeerDAS push Ethereum past the scaling trilemma.","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[46,1268,1308,200],"class_list":["post-92878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-ethereum","tag-on-chain-analysis","tag-rwa","tag-vitalik-buterin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"199","promo_type":"1","layout_type":"1","short_excerpt":"Buterin says zkEVMs and PeerDAS push Ethereum past the scaling trilemma.","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92880,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92878\/revisions\/92880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}