Vitalik Buterin Charts Ethereum's Path Toward Becoming the World Computer

EthMaximalist · 2026-01-05T13:31:06+00:00

Vitalik Buterin discusses Ethereum's progress towards becoming a decentralized world computer, emphasizing infrastructure that supports censorship-resistant applications. Key advancements include increased throughput and zkEVM for scalability. The main challenge remains balancing usability with decentralization.

EthMaximalist

2026-01-05 13:31:06

Abstract generation in progress

In a recent X post, Vitalik Buterin shared significant progress on Ethereum’s long-term vision: transforming the blockchain into a robust, decentralized infrastructure that serves as the world computer. This mission represents far more than technical upgrades—it’s about creating a trustless foundation for a freer internet.

The Vision: Building True Infrastructure

Ethereum’s ultimate goal isn’t just faster transactions or cheaper fees. It’s establishing a system where decentralized applications can operate without relying on any single authority, remaining resistant to fraud and censorship regardless of whether their original developers remain involved. This is the “world computer” concept—a censorship-resistant, always-on global infrastructure that powers an open internet.

Technical Milestones Accelerating the Vision

By 2025, Ethereum has already made substantial moves toward this goal. The network has expanded its gas limit and increased blob capacity, allowing more throughput. Equally important, node software quality has improved, making it easier for individuals to run validators and maintain true decentralization. A major zkEVM performance breakthrough has been achieved, which could dramatically improve scalability.

The combination of zkEVM and PeerDAS represents Ethereum’s dual approach: zkEVM enhances computational efficiency through zero-knowledge proofs, while PeerDAS optimizes data distribution across the network. Together, these technologies aim to solve blockchain’s scalability trilemma.

The Remaining Challenge

Despite these wins, Vitalik Buterin highlighted the core challenge: achieving both massive usability and genuine decentralization simultaneously—not just at the blockchain level, but throughout the entire application ecosystem. This requires not just technical innovation but also ensuring that ordinary users and developers can participate without barriers or centralized intermediaries.

Ethereum’s evolution reflects a clear bet: the future belongs to systems that prioritize sovereignty and openness alongside performance.

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