Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently explained that the network’s upcoming upgrade, known as “The Verge,” will enhance security and accessibility, enabling its nodes to operate on devices like smartphones and smartwatches.
The upgrade aims to enhance the feasibility and accessibility of solo staking by allowing node functionality on smaller devices.
The Verge also aims to lower hardware requirements through stateless verification, enabling nodes to validate blockchain blocks without the need to store large amounts of data.
The Verge Introduces Stateless Verification
According to Buterin’s post, the introduction of stateless verification will make verifying the blockchain so lightweight that every mobile wallet, browser extension, and even smartwatch will handle it automatically.
The move to stateless verification will eliminate the need for Ethereum nodes to store the entire blockchain, lowering the technical hurdles for users, including solo stakers.
Buterin noted that The Verge was originally centered on introducing Verkle trees, a cryptographic method aimed at minimizing proof sizes and facilitating stateless validation.
He addressed worries regarding the vulnerability of Verkle trees to quantum computing, saying:
“Verkle trees are vulnerable to quantum computers, and so if we replace the current KECCAK Merkle Patricia tree with Verkle trees, we will later have to replace the trees again.”
While the upgrade initially focused on implementing Verkle trees, developers are exploring the use of binary hash trees built on Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge (STARKs), which offer better long-term prospects for security and scalability in the face of quantum computing risks.
Modifying Ethereum’s Gas Fee
The Verge also outlines proposed modifications to the network’s gas fee structure through Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)-4762, which would pave the way for stateless verification.
The proposed change would recalibrate gas fees for resource-intensive cryptographic operations to maintain both network scalability and security, introducing multidimensional gas, according to Buterin.
This innovative approach distinguishes gas fees for call data, computation, and state accesses to enhance the management of Ethereum’s resources, aligning with the upgrade’s emphasis on reducing hardware requirements.
