- 10x L1 Scaling in Sight: Vitalik Buterin revealed plans to scale Ethereum Layer 1 by 10x within the next year and a half, focusing on upgrades like stateless nodes and EVM improvements—without compromising decentralization or privacy.
- Slow and Steady Approach: Buterin emphasized a cautious, phased rollout to avoid quick decisions that could destabilize the network, differing from other researchers pushing for 100x scaling in five years.
- Renewed Confidence Building: Despite weak Q1 metrics, institutional interest is rising (e.g., ETF activity), with ETH potentially eyeing a recovery to $3,000 as scaling gains momentum.
Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, just dropped a major update at ETHGlobal Prague—he says Ethereum’s Layer 1 could scale up by 10x over the next year. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But in a carefully planned, thoughtful kind of way. The idea? Get Ethereum to handle way more action without messing with the core values like decentralization, privacy, or being censorship-resistant.
Buterin didn’t sugarcoat it—it’s gonna take around a year and a half to roll this out. That’s because rushing stuff could mess with what makes Ethereum, well, Ethereum. He emphasized the need for caution, hinting at how quick moves might lead to centralization or make the network more fragile.
A Slow Climb, Not a Sprint
The roadmap includes upgrades to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and pushing stateless nodes forward. That’s the techie part. Interestingly, not everyone agrees on the pace. Researcher Dankrad Feist, for example, is all-in on scaling L1 by 100x in the next five years—Buterin’s clearly taking the slower, steadier route.
And while Q1 of 2025 wasn’t exactly fireworks for ETH—with price dips and sluggish on-chain buzz—interest in Ethereum scaling has been picking up. Folks are waking up to the fact that infrastructure matters. Big names like SharpLink Gaming are throwing serious money into Ethereum via BTSC and ETFs. Confidence seems to be crawling back.
Stability Over Hype?
Buterin’s approach feels more grounded than flashy. He’s aiming for growth that’s solid, not wild. That could be a game changer if it pans out the way he’s hoping. The community’s watching closely, and a push toward $3,000 wouldn’t be out of the question if this upgrade kicks off right.
So yeah, Ethereum might be gearing up for a growth spurt—but it won’t be the kind that burns out fast. If anything, this sounds like the calm before a smarter, stronger storm.