Vitalik Buterin Reveals 4 Traits of a Successful Layer-1 Network

Description

Vitalik Buterin outlined four essential traits for a successful Layer-1 network—reliability, real-time proving under worst-case conditions, formal verification, and scalability with low energy use—while critiquing SP1 Hypercube's current limitations.

Authors

Godfrey Benjamin

Publish date

May 21, 2025

Publisher

Coinspeaker

Web URL

https://www.coinspeaker.com/vitalik-buterin-reveals-4-traits-of-a-successful-layer-1-network

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Vitalik Buterin applauds zkVM progress but notes key limitations

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Vitalik also stressed that a successful Layer-1 network should use less energy and be able to scale up to meet growing demands. He highlighted that the SP1 Hypercube requires about 100 kilowatts of power to generate proofs, far more than the 10 kilowatts a typical home might use.

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He suggested that it should be possible to do it at home with much less power, making it easier for more people to participate and keeping the network decentralized. This focus on energy efficiency aligns with Ethereum’s shift to more sustainable practices after moving away from previous energy-heavy methods.

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