Vitalik Buterin declares Ethereum solved blockchain trilemma with live upgrades

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has announced that Ethereum has effectively solved the blockchain trilemma, demonstrating that the network can achieve decentralization, security, and scalability at the same time. His remarks highlight that the breakthrough is no longer theoretical but already reflected in live network upgrades.

Buterin explained that the deployment of PeerDAS on mainnet, along with alpha-stage zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (ZK-EVMs), has fundamentally changed Ethereum’s capabilities. Data availability sampling is live, and ZK-EVMs are performing at production-quality levels, though additional safety work continues.

He compared Ethereum’s current design with earlier systems: BitTorrent offered high bandwidth but lacked consensus, and Bitcoin achieved consensus and decentralization at the cost of throughput. Now, with PeerDAS and ZK-EVMs, Ethereum combines high bandwidth with decentralized consensus, marking a structural shift rather than incremental improvements.

Buterin also shared a multi-year roadmap, forecasting higher gas limits in 2026, early opportunities for users to run ZK-EVM nodes, and continued development through 2030. Distributed block building remains a long-term goal to further reduce centralization in transaction ordering.

Community reaction has been mixed, with some praising the structural advancements as transformative, while others, like Solana developer Mert Mumtaz, argue that the blockchain trilemma is outdated.

The Ethereum architect emphasized that decentralization remains critical. As the network grows through upgrades like Pectra and Fusaka and increasingly relies on Layer 2 solutions and large staking operators, maintaining usability and censorship resistance is essential. Analysts say Buterin’s message shifts the discussion from short-term price fluctuations to Ethereum’s ability to support large-scale, reliable applications.