Vitalik Buterin Maps Out Ethereum’s Goals For 2025: Scaling and Interoperability

Key Takeaways

• Vitalik Buterin reveals a new roadmap prioritizing Layer 2 scalability and ecosystem interoperability.
• The focus shifts to optimizing Ethereum’s transaction capacity and ensuring smoother integration between L1 and L2 networks.
• Ethereum is preparing for core changes to maintain its edge against competing blockchain ecosystems.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has rolled out an ambitious technical roadmap aimed at reclaiming the network’s slipping grip on the blockchain industry.

The plan zeroes in on two critical areas—scalability and interoperability—as Ethereum faces growing competition from rival platforms.

Buterin’s vision is part of a broader shake-up that includes significant changes to the Ethereum Foundation’s core leadership, signaling a fresh direction for the ecosystem.

L2 Scalability at the Core

Central to Buterin’s vision is the critical role of Layer 2 networks in scaling Ethereum’s capacity and reducing transaction costs.

He highlighted the rapid progress of L2 solutions over the past few years, praising their ability to significantly enhance Ethereum’s throughput and lower fees.

“The L2s of 2025 are a far cry from the early experiments they were in 2019: they have reached key decentralization milestones, they are securing billions of dollars of value, and they are currently scaling Ethereum’s transaction capacity by a factor of 17x, dropping fees by a similar amount,” Buterin wrote.

A key component of this scalability strategy is the use of “blobs,” a new data structure introduced via EIP-4844.

Blobs allow for temporary storage of large data packets within blocks, enhancing Ethereum’s transaction throughput.

Buterin called on L2 networks to allocate a portion of their revenues to support Ethereum (ETH) as a core asset in the ecosystem.

Buterin also stressed the importance of improving the user experience across the Ethereum network.

“Using Ethereum should feel like using a single ecosystem, not 34 different blockchains,” he noted, underscoring the need for seamless compatibility between L1 and L2 networks to drive broader adoption.

Shifting Focus to Interoperability

Despite transitioning to proof-of-stake and undergoing significant technical upgrades, Ethereum has yet to achieve its long-term goals of high throughput and enhanced security.

The roadmap, which originally focused on sharding as a scalability solution, has now shifted toward prioritizing interoperability between L1 and L2 networks.

Buterin emphasized the need for standardized interoperability solutions, including chain-specific addresses and shared tools that allow users to move seamlessly across the Ethereum ecosystem.

He urged L2 developers to focus on creating tools that enable blobs to scale safely while encouraging wallet developers to adopt and implement interoperability standards.

“As long as basic interoperability needs are met, L2 heterogeneity is good,” he wrote.