Buterin outlines next steps for Ethereum’s proof-of-stake evolution

Ethereum’s Buterin revealed plans to improve the network’s consensus model by focusing on single slot finality, staking accessibility, and increasing validator participation.

Despite the successful completion of the Merger, a significant upgrade that transformed Ethereum’s consensus algorithm from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, network co-founder Vitalik Buterin notes that there are still “some important areas where proof can be taken.” risk needs to be improved.

In his blog post on Monday, October 14, Buterin emphasized that critical improvements are still needed to reduce centralization risks and improve overall functionality. The roadmap distinguishes between technical improvements, such as stability and accessibility for validators, and economic changes aimed at centralization.

One key area highlighted is the desire for single-slot precision, which would reduce the current block termination time from 15 minutes to just 12 seconds (or even four seconds); it’s a change that will “significantly improve the user experience at both layers.” While base-1 aggregations make decentralized finance protocols more efficient.”

Another pressing concern is that democratization is being endangered. Currently, a minimum of 32 ETH (approximately $81,500 at current prices) is required to participate in staking; This is a serious limitation. Buterin suggested lowering the threshold to 1 ETH in order to increase solo staking participation.

“Survey after survey shows time and time again that the main factor holding back more people from staking alone is the 32 ETH minimum. Reducing the minimum amount to 1 ETH will solve this problem; such that other concerns alone become the dominant factor limiting staking.”

Vitalik Buterin

To achieve these improvements, Buterin outlined several strategies. One proposed solution, called “brute force,” involves improving signature collection through the potential use of ZK-SNARKs, making it possible to process signatures from millions of validators in each socket.

Additionally, he introduced the concept of “orbital committees”, which include randomly selected medium-sized committees tasked with finalizing the chain while maintaining robust security features.

For staking challenges, Buterin proposed a “two-tier staking” model that would allow for two classes of stakers, one with higher deposit requirements and the other with lower. This approach will create a more inclusive environment for participants while ensuring economic certainty. .

While the timeline for implementing these recommendations remains unclear, Buterin emphasized the need for continuous development to strike a balance between simplicity and functionality, and reiterated the importance of defining a protocol that is “simple enough that we can comfortably implement it on the mainnet.”