The Verge: A Future Roadmap for Ethereum

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin laid out a vision for the blockchain called The Verge, aiming to simplify node verification for a broader audience.

> "Today, running a node is possible on a consumer laptop, but doing so is difficult," Buterin stated. The Verge aims to make fully verifying the chain more computationally affordable, enabling default verification on mobile wallets, browser wallets, and even smartwatches.

Key Goals of The Verge

• Stateless Clients:
  Buterin emphasizes that thoroughly verifying clients and staking nodes should require minimal storage—ideally just a few gigabytes. The long-term objective is that verifying the chain will only need data downloading and SNARK validation.
• Current Challenges:
  Currently, an Ethereum client requires hundreds of gigabytes of state data to verify blocks, and this data volume increases yearly, limiting user engagement and creating friction for onboarding new clients.

Solution: Stateless Verification

Buterin suggests stateless verification which allows nodes to verify blocks without needing the full state data.
– Each block would come with a witness that includes:
1. Specific values (e.g., code, balances) utilized by the block.
2. A cryptographic proof confirming those values' accuracy.

However, Buterin cautioned that implementing this would necessitate adjustments to Ethereum’s state tree structure, presenting computational challenges.

Additional Innovations

To further support Ethereum clients, Buterin proposed incorporating validity proofs of EVM execution, which would make the virtual machine less resource-intensive. However, creating these consensus proofs is a long-term goal that could take years to realize.