The crypto community is abuzz with discussions on RISC-V after Ethereum developer and co-founder Vitalik Buterin highlighted its importance to improve the efficiency of Ethereum execution layer.
On April 20, 2025, Vitalik, through a post on Ethereum Magicians- Ethereum users and developers’ forum, shared a proposal to replace the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with RISC-V to deal with key issues that the network is currently facing. With his multi-phase plan, Vitalik aims to enhance efficiency gains for Ethereum.
While some might have an idea that RISC-V is connected to computer processors and it’s used in chip manufacturing, the large audience in crypto space is unaware about it and stressing to figure out how exactly it would help Ethereum.
So, let’s find out what RISC-V is and why Vitalik Buterin considers it as an effective idea to make Ethereum more efficient.
What is RISC-V?
RISC-V, pronounced “risk-five,” is an instruction set architecture (ISA) used to build and functionalize computer processors (CPUs). It is freely available under open-source licenses and allows anyone to use, modify, and build upon it without licensing fees. Almost every company developing hardware for “AI” is using RISC-V for control functions, where most of them have their own extensions.
Since RISC-V is free and open for all, companies around the world are using it to create new technologies without being tied to expensive and restricted systems. This flexibility and accessibility allow developers and innovators for new developments, from AI tools to blockchain systems at low-cost.
Why is RISC-V trending in Crypto Space?
RISC-V is grabbing attention in the crypto industry largely due to Vitalik Buterin’s recent proposal of replacing Ethereum’s EVM with a custom virtual machine that uses RISC-V’s capabilities.
As Vitalik mentioned in the blog post, RISC-V could drastically improve Ethereum’s scalability by speeding up smart contracts’ execution and reducing transaction costs on the network. Such a statement directly from the Ethereum’s core developer has sparked debates along with excitement in the global crypto community.
Why and How RISC-V Can Replace EVM?
Being a leading blockchain for smart contracts since 2015, Ethereum is now facing various scaling issues with its virtual machine. Despite of the recent developments like Pectra Upgrade addressing such challenges, the fundamentals of Ethereum remain untouched.
This has given birth to the idea that encourages the use of RISC-V, which can enhance Ethereum’s performance drastically by offering advanced zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and cutting verification time by 50-100x, compared to EVM’s current speed.
Benefits of RSIC-V over EVM
Following are the key points that makes it clear how Ethereum will get benefited when EVM is replaced with RISC-V.
- Increasing transactions per second (TPS) due to improved processing.
- Accelerating performance of zero knowledge proofs.
- Adding support for smart contract languages other than Solidity.
- Aligning Ethereum with widely used mainstream tools and compilers.
- Enhancing simplicity of Ethereum’s execution layer for a long run.
Moreover, this development will simplify maintenance process and enable a more efficient blockchain design that could make transactions faster and cheaper.
How will the replacement be carried out?
The replacement process will involve a compilation of smart contracts into RISC-V bytecode instead of EVM bytecode. This can be achieved by using a translation layer to ensure existing contracts remain compatible and customizing RISC-V for blockchain needs like cryptography.
Example: the replacement of EVM could be described as changing the engine of a car while not changing the car itself. This “engine swap,” would be a gradual and long-term transition, starting potentially with testnets like Sepolia and Holesky.
This shifting will require coordination among all the entities connected to Ethereum to position it with new generation blockchains such as Solana.
Will this Transition Really Help Ethereum?
Switching from the EVM to a RISC-V-based execution model could be a game-changer for Ethereum. While RISC-V’s open-source and modular design allow for better optimization and faster execution of smart contracts, it would also help Ethereum handle additional transactions per second along with reducing gas fees.
It would make the network more efficient and accessible, especially for developers building high-demand decentralized applications.
However, this transition comes with substantial technical and community challenges as Ethereum’s entire ecosystem – from dApps, toolkits to technical libraries – is currently built around the EVM. The migration to RISC-V would require rewriting parts of the stack while ensuring backward compatibility.
On one hand, the benefits seem quite alluring, whereas, on the other, path to implementation would be complex and might be slow-paced entailing rigorous testing and phased rollouts.
Conclusion
Ethereum has taken center stage when we talk about the ongoing key developments in the crypto space. This this radical development proposal from Vitalik Buterin suggests Ethereum’s capability to absorb such major fundamental changes.
Although it’s just a proposal at the moment, its potential execution would mark a turning point in the history of the crypto industry. However, it would not be an easy task for the multi-billion dollar ecosystem of Ethereum which currently sits at $215 billion.
Also Read: Ethereum-based RISC-V Meme Coin Pumps 300% Amid Buzz
