Vitalik confirms the new form of Ethereum: ZK-EVM and PeerDAS combination is in place, solving the three-way dilemma

The Ethereum trilemma has troubled the industry for years, and now Vitalik has provided the answer. He states that ZK-EVM has entered the alpha stage with production-level performance, and PeerDAS has officially launched on the Ethereum mainnet. The combination of these two technologies is transforming Ethereum from a traditional blockchain into a new type of P2P network that simultaneously offers decentralization, consensus mechanisms, and high bandwidth. This is not an incremental optimization but a fundamental shift in form.

Core Progress of the Two Technologies

Maturity of ZK-EVM and the Launch of PeerDAS

ZK-EVM (Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine) has entered the alpha phase, achieving production-level standards in performance, with remaining work focused mainly on security verification. Meanwhile, PeerDAS (Data Availability Sampling) has officially gone live on the Ethereum mainnet, indicating that both key technologies have moved from theory to practice.

According to the latest news, the integration of these two technologies marks Ethereum’s effort to solve the core issues that have plagued blockchain for years.

Why This Matters: Breaking the Trilemma

Historically, blockchain technology faced a seemingly impossible triangle:

• BitTorrent: High bandwidth but lacking a consensus mechanism
• Bitcoin: Has consensus but limited bandwidth due to full node replication, making scalability difficult
• Ethereum’s New Direction: Through the combination of ZK-EVM and PeerDAS, aims to achieve decentralization, consensus, and high throughput simultaneously

Vitalik points out that this dilemma has been resolved through “real code running on the mainnet.” This means Ethereum no longer needs to compromise across these three dimensions.

Clear Technical Roadmap

Vitalik has provided a specific timeline for Ethereum’s development:

This roadmap indicates that Ethereum’s upgrades are phased and deliberate, not an overnight change. 2026 is a critical starting point, and as mechanisms improve, the Gas limit will gradually increase.

Long-term Vision for Distributed Block Construction

In addition to ZK-EVM and PeerDAS, Vitalik emphasizes the importance of distributed block construction. His long-term goal is to prevent blocks from being fully constructed at any single location, instead dispersing block-building authority through protocols or off-protocol methods. The purposes of this are:

• Reduce risks of centralization interference
• Enhance geographical fairness
• Further strengthen the network’s resistance to censorship

This aligns with Vitalik’s mission of the “world computer” announced at the beginning of 2026 — Ethereum’s goal is not to chase short-term narratives but to build a truly censorship-resistant, decentralized computing infrastructure.

Summary

The combination of ZK-EVM and PeerDAS represents a critical turning point for Ethereum, from theoretical breakthroughs to practical implementation. The maturity of these two technologies not only solves the longstanding trilemma but more importantly, provides the technical foundation for Ethereum’s mission of becoming the “world computer.”

According to Vitalik’s plan, 2026 will be a pivotal year — with the increase of Gas limits and the advancement of new mechanisms beginning to accelerate. By 2027-2030, ZK-EVM is expected to become the main method for network validation, further unlocking Ethereum’s throughput potential. This is not merely performance optimization but a fundamental transformation of the network’s architecture. For the Ethereum ecosystem, the real test has only just begun.