Vitalik Buterin Reveals Updated 2024 Roadmap For Ethereum

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has shared an updated 2024 roadmap for the blockchain, admitting that there are only minor changes compared to last year. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on December 30, Buterin said the main focus of Ethereum for 2024 centers around six main components. 

Furthermore, in a detailed chart with diagrams and annotations, he explained these six elements: the merge, the surge, the scourge, the verge, the purge, and the splurge.

By popular demand, an updated roadmap diagram for 2023! pic.twitter.com/oxo58A2KuG

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) December 30, 2023

Ethereum’s Transformation

The roadmap highlights “The Merge” as a crucial part, aiming to maintain a simple and resilient proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus. It is an integration of the Ethereum mainnet with the PoS blockchain, the Beacon Chain.  After the merge, the most notable change in the blockchain was the shift from power-intensive PoW consensus to PoS. It resulted in a substantial decrease in the network’s overall energy consumption.

Buterin highlighted the developments on Ethereum’s single slot finality (SSF). Finality ensures that modifications to a blockchain block are irreversible without depleting at least 33% of the total staked ETH.

He said:

“The role of single slot finality (SSF) in post-Merge PoS improvement is solidifying. It’s becoming clear that SSF is the easiest path to resolving a lot of the Ethereum PoS design’s current weaknesses.”

Regarding the Surge, Buterin mentioned that there will be notable advancements in both EIP 4844 and various rollup implementations. Moreover, there will be a focus on long-term improvement in cross-rollup standards and interoperability. All of these efforts will drive Ethereum towards the goal of processing over 100,000 transactions per second.

The co-founder also pointed out that the Scourge target has been re-oriented to tackling economic centralization in two key “theatres:” MEV and liquid stake pooling. In addition, Buterin mentioned significant progress towards achieving the Verge with the upcoming implementations of verkle trees, which will contribute to the easy verification of blocks in the network.

Buterin’s 2024 roadmap for Ethereum underscores the platform’s commitment to continuous and gradual improvement. By prioritizing the stability of the PoS consensus, addressing scalability challenges, and strengthening security through SSF, the network aims to maintain its position as a leading blockchain platform.