Vitalik: Aiming to create an Ethereum that embodies cyberpunk principles and is "not ugly," with the potential for system-level language migration in the future

Vitalik Buterin posted on the X platform that he is trying to push forward a more ambitious plan: to build an "Ethereum that follows cyberpunk principles and is not ugly" as an extension layer on top of the existing system, while achieving tight integration and high interoperability with the current framework as much as possible.

The proposal will develop gradually, while ensuring that Ethereum itself acquires the necessary system-level characteristics of cyberpunk and simplicity, including censorship resistance, friendliness to zero-knowledge proofs, and attributes of the consensus layer.

Vitalik Buterin further stated that within the next 5 years (or even faster in the case of accelerated AI coding and formal verification), an open path may be established, allowing the existing system to migrate to smart contracts written in the new system language when needed.

Ethereum has previously completed significant upgrades during its operation, akin to "changing jet engines in mid-air"—such as the "Merge"—and still has the capacity for about four more system-level transformations of similar scale in the future, including state tree optimization, streamlined consensus, ZK-EVM verification, and changes to the virtual machine layer.