Vitalik Buterin described partially stateless nodes verifying the chain without full Merkle proofs or complete history, potentially halving storage requirements

Quotes that support claims

Buterin's roadmap highlighted "stateless verification" as a medium-term change, which could allow nodes to interact with the blockchain without maintaining Merkle branches, which are used to verify data integrity. This could cut storage needs by roughly 50%, making nodes significantly lighter, Buterin said.

The system would also allow users to configure what data their node stores, like common smart contracts, tokens, or specific apps, using a simple onchain setting. Users wouldn’t need to store Merkle proofs (the complex cryptographic trees that secure blockchain state), as only raw data suffices.