Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has adjusted his vision for Layer 2 (L2) scaling solutions, advocating for a shift in focus towards native rollups and away from the original "rollup-centric" roadmap. This change in perspective comes as Ethereum's base layer (L1) has made significant strides in scalability, coupled with slower than anticipated progress in L2 decentralization. Buterin's revised outlook encourages L2s to explore unique value propositions beyond just scaling, such as enhanced privacy features or application-specific optimizations.
Buterin's initial vision for L2 rollups, which he has championed since 2021, aimed to create "branded shards" of the main Ethereum chain. However, he now believes this approach "no longer makes sense". Several factors contributed to this change of heart. Firstly, the decentralization of L2s has been slower than expected, with only a few major L2s achieving Stage 1 decentralization by 2025. The majority of rollups remain at Stage 0, characterized by centralized control mechanisms. Secondly, Ethereum's L1 has independently scaled through increased gas limits and data availability improvements like PeerDAS, reducing the reliance on L2s for basic scaling.
Buterin suggests L2s should no longer primarily focus on scaling but instead offer unique functionalities such as privacy-dedicated virtual machines, application-specific efficiency, ultra-low latency, or support for non-financial applications like social platforms or AI. He maintains that L2s should at least reach Stage 1 decentralization or acknowledge that they are operating as separate L1s with bridges. For L2s that depend on Ethereum-issued assets, Buterin emphasizes the importance of a minimum level of security integration, while also promoting flexibility over uniformity.
A key element of Buterin's updated vision is the promotion of a native rollup precompile—a built-in feature enabling Ethereum to verify ZK-EVM proofs used by L2s. This precompile would auto-upgrade with Ethereum and receive hard-fork protection if bugs were to surface. This approach aims to foster trustless interoperability and synchronous composability between L1 and L2s, reducing reliance on external security committees. By integrating ZK-EVM verification directly into Ethereum, the network can take responsibility for fixing any flaws through network upgrades, bolstering trust in the system.
This shift in strategy follows shakeups within the Ethereum Foundation in 2025, spurred by increased competition from monolithic scaling solutions like Solana. Researchers have since refocused their efforts on enhancing the base layer alongside L2 expansion. Buterin's current stance acknowledges a spectrum of L2 solutions, allowing users to select the degree of connectivity based on their specific needs. He envisions an ecosystem with diverse choices, ranging from chains that rely entirely on Ethereum's trust and credibility to chains with varying degrees of interconnectivity, each emphasizing different functions or application scenarios. Ultimately, the goal is to achieve innovative additions to the Ethereum ecosystem rather than merely extending L1 capabilities.