EVM to Upgrade to RSIV, Can Efficiency Improvements Surpass?

Author: Alertforalpha

Translated by: Blockchain Simplified

Ethereum holders are no strangers to dramatic market fluctuations. But this cycle? It feels like a roller coaster that keeps going down.

While Bitcoin hits new highs, Ethereum has barely moved, even continuing to bleed. No new captivating stories. No explosive growth. Just a slow erosion of market dominance, with faster and cheaper competitors like Solana stealing the spotlight. Now, Vitalik Buterin has proposed a radical new plan that could forever change how Ethereum operates. But is it too late?

Vitalik's New Bet: Replacing EVM

At the core of Ethereum is the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)—the decentralized engine that drives smart contracts on the network. It has been a cornerstone since Ethereum's inception. But now, Vitalik suggests a complete overhaul.

In a post on the Ethereum Magicians forum (a gathering place for Ethereum developers), Vitalik proposed the idea of replacing the EVM with a new architecture called RSIV.

In simple terms:

• Existing contracts will retain full functionality.
• New contracts can be written in Rust (a modern, highly popular programming language) as well as Solidity.
• Interoperability between the old and new systems will be maintained.
• The goal? To significantly improve Ethereum's execution efficiency and address one of its biggest scalability bottlenecks.

Vitalik even hinted that this might be the only viable path to simplify Ethereum's bloated execution layer—especially after abandoning earlier commitments to sharding.

In theory, this sounds transformative.

In reality? RSIV may take years to come to fruition.

That is the real issue.

ETH Stagnates, SOL Rises

While Ethereum discusses its next major upgrade, competitors are not standing still.

Especially SOL, which is far ahead:

• It processed 4.9 billion transactions in the past three months, far surpassing Ethereum.
• Weekly network revenue reached $21 billion, capturing nearly 48% of the market share.
• SOL's decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume now leads all chains.

Meanwhile, Ethereum's data is not optimistic:

• The ETH/BTC ratio has hit an all-time low.
• ETH ETFs continue to lose assets, while Bitcoin ETFs attract billions of dollars.
• Ethereum's market dominance has dropped to **7%, about *66% lower than historical levels.*
• Price performance? Over the past year, Bitcoin has risen nearly 50%, while Ethereum has fallen 50%.

Wall Street's choice is clear. The hottest funds in the crypto market are no longer flowing to Ethereum but are shifting to Bitcoin and faster Layer 1 chains like SOL.

Even major players like Galaxy Digital are repositioning: on-chain data shows they have exchanged $100 million worth of ETH for SOL.

The Harsh Truth: ETH is Losing Its Momentum

The current state of Ethereum sounds strikingly similar to that of the once-great tech giant Nokia.

Just like Nokia in the smartphone wars, Ethereum built an exceptional platform that changed the world… but when newer, faster competitors emerged, it struggled to adapt quickly.

The harsh reality is: Ethereum has lost its narrative in this cycle.

In 2017, Ethereum was synonymous with ICOs.

• In 2020, it was the king of NFTs and DeFi.
• In 2024, the biggest trend in the crypto market is memecoins—almost entirely happening on Solana.

Ethereum lacks a compelling use case to drive mass new user adoption. Instead, it has fragmented into expensive Layer 2s, clunky cross-chain bridges, and user experience friction.

Is RSIV a Game Changer, or Is It Too Late?

Vitalik's RSIV proposal is ambitious. Bold and fearless. It is the kind of major thinking Ethereum needs.

But the crypto world changes at lightning speed. The reality is that even if RSIV is flawless, building, testing, and deploying it could take years.

By then, Solana, Sui, Aptos, and others may have pulled even further ahead.

Ethereum is not beyond saving—at least not yet. It still holds about $50 billion in total value locked (TVL), continues to attract loyal whale capital, and still commands respect from institutions.

But it stands at a crossroads:

• Continue with slow, cautious upgrades—potentially fading into historical obscurity.
• Or act quickly, innovate boldly, and strive to reclaim leadership in a rapidly changing market.

RSIV could be the start of a revival.

Or it could become the first nail in Ethereum's coffin if it acts too late.

Article link: https://www.hellobtc.com/kp/du/04/5764.html

Source: https://s.c1ns.cn/Sy1n8

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