Vitalik Buterin: ZK-EVM and PeerDAS are creating a new form of decentralized network

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin stated on X that the network is evolving into a fundamentally new type of decentralized system. This transformation is driven by the Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (ZK-EVM) reaching an alpha stage with production-level performance and the mainnet implementation of PeerDAS, a core feature of the Fusaka upgrade. Buterin contrasted this with previous network types, which he categorized as "Torrent-type" from 2000 and "Bitcoin-type" from 2009. He explained that while torrents offer high network bandwidth, they lack a consensus mechanism. Conversely, Bitcoin has a consensus structure but suffers from low throughput and requires nodes to redundantly store the same data. He emphasized that the combination of PeerDAS and ZK-EVM allows Ethereum to achieve decentralization, consensus, and high bandwidth simultaneously. Buterin also provided the following technical outlook for Ethereum: - 2026: Gas limits are expected to rise independently of ZK-EVM, with initial ZK-EVM nodes potentially becoming operational. - 2026-2028: A period of stabilization will include reorganizing the state structure, converting execution payloads into blobs, and redesigning gas fees. - 2027-2030: ZK-EVM is projected to become the default method for block validation, enabling further large-scale expansions of the gas limit.