Following Ethereum’s 10-year mainnet anniversary, the Ethereum Foundation has released an ambitious strategic roadmap that outlines the next decade of protocol development. The lead author of this vision is Ethereum researcher Justin Drake, whose report highlights both the achievements to date and bold steps ahead.
A Proven Foundation
Drake begins by acknowledging Ethereum’s operational resilience — boasting 100% uptime since launch, a vibrant multi-client ecosystem, and 35.7 million ETH (~$130B) staked on the network. This operational excellence sets the stage for Ethereum to evolve into what Drake calls the "Internet of Value" — a network as persistent and foundational as the Internet itself.
“Ethereum must outlive nation-states and quantum computers. If the Internet is online, Ethereum must be online. That’s Fort Mode,” Drake writes.
Scaling the Chain: Fort Mode vs Beast Mode
At the heart of the 10-year plan is scaling — both in terms of data throughput and decentralized robustness.
In the short term (6–12 months), users can expect modest efficiency gains. But the long-term vision is transformative:
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Layer 1 is targeting 1 gigagas/sec, enabling ~10,000 TPS.
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Layer 2 aims for 1 teragas/sec, unlocking ~1 million TPS.
To support this scale, Ethereum is set to integrate real-time zkVMs at the execution layer and Data Availability Sampling (DAS) at the data layer. The ultimate goal: verifiable full-chain access from any browser, wallet, or phone.
Core Protocol Upgrades: Data, Consensus, Execution
Drake breaks down upcoming Ethereum enhancements into three categories:
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Consensus – The upcoming Beacon Chain 2.0 will offer stronger decentralization, faster finality (just seconds), and improved security. This is the evolution of the earlier Beam Chain initiative.
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Data Layer – The BLOB 2.0 upgrade introduces post-quantum blobs and granular sizing — simplifying developer use of calldata and preparing the chain for cryptographic future-proofing.
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Execution Layer – Enter EVM 2.0: a streamlined, SNARK-friendly instruction set that enhances performance while retaining backward compatibility with today’s EVM.
“Every layer is reimagined from first principles,” Drake emphasizes. “Together, they enable both Fort Mode and Beast Mode — scalable, secure, and elegantly simple.”
Preparing for the Quantum Era
Ethereum’s developers are taking the threat of quantum computing and the rise of SNARK-heavy architectures seriously. To stay ahead, the Foundation backs a shift to hash-based cryptography — considered a robust defense in the face of future cryptographic challenges.
Looking Ahead
Ethereum is not standing still. This July, the community learned that the Fusaka hard fork is slated for November, following May’s successful Pectra upgrade. These continual evolutions position Ethereum not just as a blockchain, but as an enduring infrastructure for a decentralized digital world.
