Vitalik Buterin proposes a new architecture to accelerate and scale Ethereum

Co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has just announced a new approach aimed at improving the speed and scalability of the network, by restructuring the way finality (finality) of blocks is achieved.

In the article dated August 1, Buterin proposed to separate the fork choice mechanism ( from the finality process — something he believes could simplify the Ethereum protocol and accelerate block confirmation speed.

Currently, Ethereum uses a design based on "slots" ) evenly spaced time periods (, in which both the fork choice and finality mechanisms operate simultaneously within the same time frame. Although stable and secure, this model requires many rounds of exchanges between validators ) in each slot, slowing down the block confirmation process.

Buterin believes that complexity can be reduced by allowing these two mechanisms to develop independently. He wrote:

"Perhaps we should reduce the tight dependency between slots and finality as in the 3SF model, instead separating the LMD GHOST branch selection rules and finality mechanism, with a different number of participants."

Two-tier system

According to the proposal, a fixed group of about 256 validators will perform the LMD GHOST branch selection algorithm in each slot, helping to determine the main branch of the chain almost in real-time - functioning as Ethereum's "fast lane."

At the same time, a larger set of validators will perform the finality process at a slower pace to determine which block cannot be reverted.

This separation helps Ethereum to reduce the number of information exchange rounds in each slot from three or four down to two, thereby enhancing responsiveness while ensuring the integrity of consensus.

Buterin emphasized that this proposed architecture has greater significance for Ethereum's scalability. He stated that the network will be able to shorten the time of each slot and safely support a larger number of validators — potentially scaling to millions without the need for complex cryptographic solutions.

Moreover, this system will help Ethereum simplify its internal structure while maintaining security. It also facilitates developers to flexibly upgrade or replace the finality mechanism without affecting the core logic of the branch selection process.

The proposal is still in the research phase and open for community feedback. However, this is seen as an important step in the effort to streamline and enhance the performance of Ethereum in the future.

Thạch Sanh