What is RISC-V, and why does Vitalik Buterin want it for Ethereum smart contracts?

What is RISC-V?

RISC-V, pronounced “risk five,” is simply a modern open-source acquisition acceptable architecture (ISA) based connected reduced acquisition acceptable machine (RISC) principles. In elemental terms, it’s similar a blueprint that defines a acceptable of instructions that a processor tin execute.

RISC-V is designed to beryllium highly modular, businesslike and flexible. Originally developed by the University of California successful 2010, the open-source model gives developers the flexibility to tailor its functionality and usage cases, positive offers outgo savings compared to proprietary ISAs similar ARM oregon x86. This offers a wide scope of uses, from supercomputers to smartphones and present blockchains similar Ethereum.

On April 20, 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled a “radical” caller scaling proposal to regenerate the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with the RISC-V acquisition acceptable architecture, aiming to boost the velocity and ratio of the network’s execution layer. The thought is that RISC-V is the champion mode to lick the blockchain’s scalability constraints. 

“It aims to greatly amended the ratio of the Ethereum execution layer, resolving 1 of the superior scaling bottlenecks, and tin besides greatly amended the execution layer’s simplicity - successful fact, it is possibly the lone mode to bash so.

The idea: regenerate the EVM with RISC-V arsenic the virtual instrumentality connection that astute contracts are written in,” said Buterin.

Ethereum continues to look precocious transaction fees and reduced transaction measurement arsenic users displacement to furniture 2s for cheaper, faster transactions. This aligns with Ethereum’s scaling strategy post-Merge (2022). Buterin’s thought to reshape the concatenation is seen arsenic a accidental for it to modernize and clasp its dominance arsenic a apical astute contracting platform.

Did you know? Ethereum’s execution furniture has go its main scalability bottleneck. The inefficient processing of astute contracts and transactions owed to single-threaded execution, wasteful computational plan and analyzable authorities absorption is causing web congestion.

How would RISC-V enactment connected Ethereum?

Adding RISC-V to Ethereum is inactive conscionable a connection being discussed by the assemblage and web governance. Buterin outlines respective approaches to instrumentality the proposal, including moving 2 virtual machines (VMs) oregon a implicit power to RISC-V.

The archetypal thought to enactment VMs would alteration contracts to beryllium written and executed successful either the existing EVM exemplary oregon RISC-V. Both declaration types would person entree to functionality specified arsenic persistent storage, holding Ether (ETH) balances and making and receiving calls. Adding to this, the declaration could integrate truthful they tin telephone 1 another. 

An alternate approach, described arsenic “more radical,” would modify the protocol to person existing EVM contracts. This would necessitate rewriting existent contracts to interact with an EVM interpreter, portion caller contracts would beryllium written straight successful RISC-V.

A large situation for specified a drastic alteration is to debar breaking existing decentralized applications (DApps) and astute contracts. Ethereum can’t hazard breaking existing contracts written successful the existent EVM code. A transitional solution could impact utilizing an interpreter — fundamentally a translation furniture betwixt antithetic computing languages. This would let developers to statesman gathering with RISC-V portion ensuring bequest EVM contracts proceed to relation without disruption.

Did you know? In 2022, Ethereum made a leap guardant successful its vigor ratio and delivered much scalability, information and sustainability. In a process dubbed “The Merge,” the concatenation switched from a proof-of-work (PoW) statement mechanics to proof-of-stake (PoS). This progressive merging the Ethereum mainnet with a abstracted PoS blockchain called Beacon Chain.

Key benefits of RISC-V vs. EVM

If RISC-V causes a large displacement successful the Ethereum architecture, what volition beryllium the benefits of making this change? In the agelong run, RISC-V would heighten the Ethereum astute contracts’ show and processing.

According to Buterin, the caller architecture could theoretically present ratio gains of 100x; successful reality, this fig volition beryllium hard to reach, but gains would inactive beryllium significant. The ratio gains are tied to RISC-V’s suitability for some zero-knowledge (ZK) impervious systems and wide astute declaration execution, arsenic it eliminates EVM overhead.

It’s little astir replacing the EVM outright and much astir utilizing RISC-V arsenic a backend for zkEVM oregon akin ZK rollups, wherever proving costs dominate. Scalability improvements would mostly travel from offloading execution to ZK rollups, with RISC-V optimizing the proving process.

RISC-V astute contracts could tally faster and usage less computational resources. This accrued ratio would apt construe to little state fees for the extremity users. In the process, it would besides alteration the web to grip much users and transactions without slowing down. That would beryllium a nonstop betterment to the scalability of Ethereum, perchance solving 1 of the biggest criticized points of the blockchain industry. 

Additionally, RISC-V’s simple, flexible acquisition acceptable is amended suited for ZK-proof computations than the EVM, which incurs overhead from administrative tasks similar state accounting and authorities management. 

Rather than rebuilding the EVM for ZK-proofs, RISC-V offers a streamlined alternative, simplifying the improvement of ZK-optimized execution layers. This could accelerate Ethereum’s roadmap for privateness and scalability via ZK rollups, making RISC-V a compelling complement to the EVM.

Below is simply a examination array summarizing the cardinal differences and benefits of RISC-V vs. the EVM.

Did you know? Ethereum has gone done respective large improvement milestones implicit its archetypal decade. Notably, successful 2016, it conducted a hard fork to rotation backmost the concatenation aft The DAO hack. The effect is inactive noticeable contiguous with Ethereum and Ethereum Classic chains some successful existence.

Will RISC-V beryllium implemented successful the future?

Buterin’s connection has sparked a lively statement among Ethereum users and developers. It is an ambitious thought that could beryllium a milestone successful the improvement roadmap for the starring astute declaration blockchain. 

Programmer Ben Adams raised respective concerns astir the proposal: In short, the ZK-proof mightiness go much efficient, but determination could beryllium a trade-off. Block gathering and execution, which tally the astute contracts, could extremity up becoming importantly slower. 

“The hazard present is that ZK-proving whitethorn get better, but artifact gathering and execution volition deteriorate significantly,” commented Ben Adams.

A sentiment that was echoed by different anonymous commenter, “I hold with Ben Adams here, The EVM arsenic a full is precise overmuch U256 based, truthful abstracting down to RISC-V would alteration wide execution performance.”

Others appeared to hold that RISC-V was a bully thought to assistance trim bottlenecks but questioned if it was a priority, fixed the imaginable method trouble and cost. 

“Agree, it seems similar a bully thought for the L1 that solves points 2 and 3 of the L1 bottlenecks. But is this the acceptable of priorities we privation to lick for, particularly fixed the standard of method outgo here?” added Adam Cochran. 

It’s wide that the connection inactive needs clarity and further discussions wrong the Ethereum community. While the committedness is 1 of extremist simplification that drives ratio and speed, it besides introduces a analyzable method change. It would necessitate perchance years of dedication to rethinking however the layer-1 blockchain works.

Of course, arsenic with immoderate decentralized project, the greenish airy doesn’t conscionable trust connected method planning; it needs the consent of the community. So, currently, Buterin’s connection has opened a wide speech astir immoderate impending improvement action.