You Won’t Believe Why Ethereum’s Creator Wants RISC-V For Smart Contracts! 🤯

What is RISC-V?

Pray, gentle reader, allow me to acquaint you with RISC-V—pronounced, if you please, “risk five”—a most modern and audacious open-source instruction set architecture! Self-possessed in its reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles, it declares itself a blueprint by which processors must abide. (As if processors were gentlemen receiving invitations for tea and must know the rules of whist in advance.)

Unlike your common, run-of-the-mill architectures (dare I say, those of the proprietary persuasion), RISC-V is a creature of remarkable adaptability, ever eager to please and rather more economical than its stiff competition, namely ARM and x86. Conceived at the University of California in the year 2010, it offers not only a delightful variety fit for supercomputers and smartphones alike, but now, blockchains such as Ethereum may also share in the privilege. Quite the social climber, n’est-ce pas? 🧐

On the illustrious 20th day of April, 2025, Mr. Vitalik Buterin—whose wit and inventiveness cannot be overstated, though many have dared try—proposed a plan of positively scandalous ambition! He would see RISC-V usurp the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) as its execution layer, promising speeds that could startle a particularly indolent snail into abrupt action. As Mr. Buterin put it, replacing the EVM with RISC-V is perhaps the only prospect for enhancing efficiency and simplicity—no pressure, of course.

What does this mean for Ethereum? Simply that its woes of high transaction fees and dwindling volumes (a most tragic fate in Society) may yet be conquered as users flutter to the more fashionable “layer twos.” Buterin’s plan, if realized, might restore Ethereum’s former glory, or at the very least, a seat at the table beside the cleverest blockchains.

Did you know? The main execution layer of Ethereum is the poor relation of the family, suffering bottlenecks, single-threaded disarray, and the most convoluted state management. One might say it resembles a crowded ball with nobody able to dance.

How would RISC-V work on Ethereum?

Presently, let it be known, RISC-V on Ethereum exists as naught but a topic of great speculation and, dare I say, many a heated dinner conversation. Mr. Buterin suggests two approaches, one rather diplomatic, the other—brace yourself—positively revolutionary.

His first (gentle) suggestion would permit the current EVM and RISC-V to coexist, much like siblings who do not entirely trust each other, but must get along for Mama’s sake. Contracts, whether of EVM extraction or the new—dare I say, daring!—RISC-V variety, would intermingle and collaborate, calling one another with the politest efficiency. Such harmony, if it could be achieved, would surely delight Miss Manners herself.

The second approach, described as ‘more radical’ (one can almost hear the collective swoon—and gasp—of the assembly), is rather less forgiving. The entire society of smart contracts, accustomed to EVM, would be required to adapt, likely with much moaning and some inevitable resistance. The answer? Provide these poor contracts with an interpreter, a sort of chaperone, ensuring they do not disgrace themselves or suffer any unfortunate breakdowns as they are slowly transitioned to the new order. Graceful, if laborious.

Did you know? Ethereum underwent its own ‘debutante ball’ of transformation in 2022, abandoning PoW for PoS (proof-of-work for proof-of-stake, for those not up on blockchain etiquette), merging its mainchain with the Beacon Chain—and in the process, securing itself a greener reputation at all the best salons.

Key benefits of RISC-V vs. EVM

Should this most controversial change come to pass, what prizes (besides notoriety, of course) might Ethereum secure? RISC-V, it is whispered, could provide an improvement so dramatic—a hundredfold, by Buterin’s account! He is no stranger to exaggeration, but even a fraction would be cause for celebration.

These advantages are especially tailored for the peculiarities of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) and smart contracts, which, in current company, suffer under the weight of excess EVM baggage. It is less a plan to banish the EVM to the attic and more to offer RISC-V as an elegant new backend for zkEVMs or ZK rollups where, to be frank, the real action is happening. Rollups, it appears, are the coming-out party of the decade—and RISC-V is determined to claim the best dance cards.

By nature sleeker and less demanding on computational resources, RISC-V would allow smart contracts to run with the vigour of a country walk rather than the torture of a carriage ride on muddy roads. This means lower gas fees—music to the ears of any economy-minded gentleperson—and greater capacity overall. As such, Ethereum might at last silence its critics (for a week or two).

Indeed, where RISC-V excels is in its plainness—plain not in beauty, but in simplicity—making high-level computations much less fraught than with the EVM’s labyrinthine state management. Why rebuild the EVM for ZK-proofing when a nimble RISC-V might do the job better? The goal: accelerated privacy and scale, much to the probable envy of other blockchains and the satisfaction (temporary, no doubt) of its users.

And now, gentle reader, a comparison most enlightening:

Did you know? In 2016, Ethereum scandalized society with a hard fork after The DAO incident, leading to the split between Ethereum and the ever-contentious Ethereum Classic. One chain to rule them all? Ha! Only if society decrees it so.

Will RISC-V be implemented in the future?

Mr. Buterin’s proposition has set tongues wagging across the land, not all favorable. The debate is as energetic as any ball in May, with programmers and developers dissecting every aspect with forensic delight.

Mr. Ben Adams, a man of strong views and ready wit, has cautioned that while ZK-proofs might speed along, the block building and execution may stumble. He is not alone; an anonymous commentator, that ever-present voice at the back of the room, insists that the EVM’s U256 ways would be diminished under a RISC-V regime.

Supporters agree with the grand principle (“splendid idea, old chap!”) but wonder if the technical difficulties (not to mention the cost!) are worth the effort. Mr. Adam Cochran, ever the pragmatist, questions if these are truly the priorities the community should pursue—one suspects he’s seen a fair share of difficult proposals before his morning tea.

One thing, at least, is certain: the Ethereum community delights in debate as much as any London drawing room. But as in all matters of taste and technology, the ultimate decision depends not upon the wishes of any single visionary, but upon the consent of the assembled company. The curtain has risen, but whether RISC-V will lead the dance, time (and collective patience) will tell. 🕺💃