Vitalik Buterin Unveils Ethereum ‘The Verge’ Upgrade, Bringing Node Access to Phones

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has shared important news about the network's next upgrade called The Verge."

The Verge aims to make Ethereum safer and easier to use, allowing nodes to operate on smaller devices. This means network validators could run a node on a phone or even a smartwatch.

Stateless Verification Will Reduce Hardware Requirements for Node Operators

In a recent blog post, Vitalik Buterin shared key insights about Ethereum's upcoming The Verge" upgrade. One of The Verge's key features is stateless verification, " which will lower the hardware requirements needed to run a node.

With stateless verification, nodes can check blockchain blocks without storing much data, allowing more people to participate in the Ethereum network.

One of the challenges facing Ethereum initially is the growing amount of data needed to run a node. Right now, it takes hundreds of gigabytes of state data" to operate one. This large data size can make it difficult for more people to run nodes.

Therefore, to address this issue, The Verge introduced stateless verification. Vitalik Buterin believes this change will make it easier for everyone to run node verifications.

The move to stateless verification will significantly change Ethereum nodes. With this new system, nodes will no longer need to store all blockchain data. After the upgrade, it would be easy to fully verify transactions on the blockchain using small devices.

With these improvements, more people can participate in the Ethereum network without needing powerful hardware. This means mobile wallets, browser wallets, and even smartwatches could verify the blockchain by default.

Also, not having to keep all that data will decrease users' technical challenges, which is helpful for solo stakes.

The Role of Verkle Trees and New Gas Cost Structures in The Verge Upgrade

In his blog post, Vitalik Buterin explained that The Verge will first focus on using Verkle trees. These particular types of cryptographic structure make proof sizes smaller and allow for stateless validation.

Buterin also addressed some worries about Verkle trees. He mentioned that these trees are vulnerable to quantum computing. This means that if Ethereum switches from the current KECCAK Merkle Patricia tree to Verkle trees, it might need to change again.

Therefore, developers are looking at another option to improve security and scalability against quantum threats. They are considering using Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge (STARK)-based binary hash trees.

These trees could offer better long-term protection and help ensure Ethereum remains secure as technology evolves.

Also, The Verge plans to change the gas cost system on the Ethereum network, which is part of the Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)-4762. These changes are being made to prepare for stateless verification.

The proposed change will modify gas fees for operations that use many resources. This is necessary for keeping the network scalable and secure. Vitalik Buterin refers to this new approach as multidimensional gas."

This means that gas fees will be adjusted based on different factors, allowing the network to accommodate more users and transactions without slowing down.

This new idea also divides gas costs into different categories. It separates costs for call data, computation, and state accesses.

Vitalik wants to make it easier for people to stake themselves and participate in the network without needing powerful hardware. Overall, these changes aim to improve Ethereum's performance and security.

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