🕵️ Vitalik Buterin stated that Ethereum’s execution-layer upgrades focus on state tree restructuring and VM changes to improve proof-efficiency. EIP-7864 aims to replace the current hexary Merkle Patricia Tree with a binary tree that utilizes a more efficient hash function, which would shorten Merkle branches, reduce bandwidth and proof costs, and optimize storage access. In the long term, a more proof-friendly VM like RISC-V could gradually replace the EVM, starting with precompiles, followed by contract deployment, and eventually running the EVM as a compatibility layer with adjusted Gas costs to maintain backward compatibility. #crypto