Key Highlights
- The Ethereum Co-Founder proposes adding built-in DVT so Ethereum validators can safely run across multiple machines instead of relying on one node.
- Native DVT would let stakers split validators into several parts that only work if enough nodes agree.
- The idea could reduce slashing risk, improve uptime, and make solo and institutional staking more secure.
Ethereum staking could soon get a major safety upgrade. Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin has floated a new proposal to build native distributed validator technology (DVT), letting validators run on multiple machines to reduce risk and make the network more decentralized.
In a post on the Ethereum Research forum, he suggested that instead of relying on a single machine to run a validator, stakers could split responsibility across several independent nodes that act together as one.
As Buterin explains, a validator could continue operating correctly “as long as more than two-thirds of the nodes are honest,” reducing the risk of downtime, slashing, and single points of failure. A validator’s actions would only be considered valid if a minimum number of those nodes agreed.
How “native DVT” would work
Today, DVT is already used through third-party systems such as ssv.network and Obol, along with lighter setups like Dirk + Vouch or Vero.
Buterin noted that while these tools work, they are often complex to configure, require additional networking between nodes, and depend on cryptographic properties that may not be ideal in the long term.
“These solutions are quite complex,” he wrote, adding that Ethereum could offer a “surprisingly simple alternative” by building DVT directly into the protocol. Under Buterin’s “native DVT” idea, a staker with enough ETH could split one validator into several parts, using up to 16 different keys.
Each part would run on a separate machine. These parts would act together as one validator, and important actions, like proposing blocks or confirming transactions, would only count if a minimum number of them agreed.
For example, in a setup with seven nodes, at least five would need to approve for the validator to earn rewards or be counted by the network.
From the user’s point of view, the system would be relatively straightforward. Instead of managing specialized DVT software, a staker would mainly run several standard Ethereum nodes, with the protocol itself handling how their actions are grouped and counted. Buterin said this design would add only a small extra step when producing blocks and no additional delay for routine attestations.
Beyond technical benefits, Buterin framed native DVT as a way to push Ethereum staking toward greater decentralization. More resilient setups could make it easier for large individual holders and institutions to stake on their own instead of relying on major providers.
That, he argued, could improve measurable decentralization across the network, including metrics such as the Nakamoto coefficient and Herfindahl index.
In August, Kraken became the first major crypto exchange to fully deploy DVT for its Ethereum staking by integrating with SSV Network. The move allows Kraken to split validator duties across multiple independent operators instead of relying on a single machine, improving uptime and reducing the risk of outages or failures.
The proposal remains at an early discussion stage and would require extensive community review before any move toward implementation.
Also Read: Vitalik Buterin on Why the ‘Token-Voting’ Era of DAOs Must Die
