Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a long-term roadmap called "Lean Ethereum," presenting it as the next major evolution for the Ethereum network. The roadmap highlights the integration of recursive STARKs, stronger resistance against quantum computing, expansion of Ethereum's state capacity to 100 TB by 2030, and exploration of new virtual machines such as RISC-V and leanISA. These upgrades are expected to roll out gradually over the next three to four years.

Lean Ethereum Becomes Ethereum's Next Major Evolution After The Merge

According to reports, Vitalik described Lean Ethereum as the next major phase of Ethereum's development following The Merge in 2022, which transitioned the network to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and reduced Ethereum's energy consumption by approximately 99.95%.

Under the new roadmap, Ethereum's focus extends beyond scalability to include simplifying the protocol architecture, strengthening cryptographic security, and preparing the network for future threats posed by quantum computing.

One of the key components is the integration of recursive STARKs into Ethereum's native verification system. In simple terms, STARKs allow computational proofs to be compressed efficiently, reducing the need for every node to re-execute every transaction. If implemented natively, this approach could significantly improve Ethereum's verification efficiency.

Focus on Post-Quantum Cryptography and a New Scalable State

Another major aspect of Lean Ethereum is the gradual migration from cryptographic systems that could eventually be vulnerable to quantum computers toward more quantum-resistant alternatives.

According to Ethereum's official documentation, sufficiently powerful quantum computers could one day threaten several cryptographic systems currently used by Ethereum, including ECDSA transaction signatures, BLS signatures on the consensus layer, KZG commitments, and certain zero-knowledge proof systems.

The Ethereum Foundation established a dedicated post-quantum research team in January 2026. The Lean Ethereum roadmap reportedly targets full quantum protection by 2029, although Ethereum.org emphasizes that users' funds remain safe today and that any future migration will be handled through wallet software.

Beyond cryptography, Vitalik also introduced a new scalable state architecture. Under the long-term vision, Ethereum would continue maintaining roughly 2 TB of today's dynamic state while adding up to 100 TB of a new scalable state by 2030.

This new state model is designed for assets such as ERC-20 tokens and NFTs, with the potential to reduce transaction costs by more than 10x for certain applications.

However, not every application is expected to migrate immediately. More complex applications, such as decentralized exchanges and on-chain order book systems, would likely continue using Ethereum's existing state model.

Glamsterdam Upgrade Expected to Increase Network Capacity

In the nearer term, the Glamsterdam upgrade is expected to become one of Ethereum's key milestones.

According to Ethereum.org, Glamsterdam is planned for the second half of 2026 as part of Ethereum's long-term strategy to improve Layer-1 scalability and data processing efficiency.

The upgrade focuses on three primary goals:

• Accelerating transaction processing through parallelization
• Expanding network capacity
• Preventing database growth through revised storage pricing

These improvements are intended to enable higher gas limits without compromising decentralization or the ability for users to run nodes from consumer-grade hardware.

Vitalik also reportedly stated that Glamsterdam could significantly raise Ethereum's gas limit. If implemented successfully, a higher gas limit would allow more Layer-1 transactions and on-chain activity, although its real-world impact will still depend on technical implementation and network demand.

Impact on the Ethereum Ecosystem and ETH Price

From an ecosystem perspective, Lean Ethereum strengthens Ethereum's long-term vision of balancing scalability, security, privacy, and decentralization.

Its emphasis on STARKs, post-quantum cryptography, and scalable state demonstrates that Ethereum is not only pursuing higher throughput but also building infrastructure capable of supporting the network over the coming decade.

For developers, the roadmap introduces additional flexibility. Ethereum intends to remain compatible with its existing ecosystem while exploring alternative virtual machines such as RISC-V and leanISA for enhanced privacy and efficiency.

From a market perspective, however, the roadmap represents a long-term fundamental development rather than an immediate price catalyst.

At the time of writing, ETH was trading around $1,624.95. Its price continues to be influenced by broader macroeconomic conditions, institutional capital flows, on-chain activity, and overall cryptocurrency market sentiment.

Conclusion

The Lean Ethereum roadmap marks Ethereum's effort to enter a new phase of development centered on protocol efficiency, STARK-based verification, post-quantum security, and long-term state scalability.

Although implementation will take several years, the roadmap demonstrates that Ethereum is laying the technical foundation to address future challenges—from cheaper transactions to the eventual emergence of quantum computing.

If these upgrades can be implemented while maintaining compatibility with Ethereum's existing ecosystem, Lean Ethereum could become one of the most significant upgrades in Ethereum's history since The Merge.