Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has introduced a series of proposals aimed at reinforcing the network’s long-term stability and decentralization. Speaking at the Ethereum Community Conference in Cannes, Buterin emphasized the need for Ethereum and the broader crypto industry to adopt more practical, user-focused safeguards. He also co-authored a new technical proposal, EIP-7983, that would place a protocol-level cap on gas usage for individual transactions to enhance security and compatibility with future technologies.
Vitalik Buterin Proposes Ethereum Gas Cap to Boost Network Security and zkVM Compatibility
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum researcher Toni Wahrstätter have introduced a new proposal aimed at fortifying the Ethereum network's resilience and performance by placing a hard cap on the gas consumption of individual transactions.
Known as Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7983 (EIP-7983), the change would set a protocol-level gas ceiling of 16.77 million units (2²⁴) per transaction, a move that could significantly reduce the network’s vulnerability to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and make it more compatible with emerging technologies like zero-knowledge virtual machines (zkVMs).
Currently, Ethereum’s architecture technically allows a single transaction to consume the entire block gas limit — a loophole that presents serious risks to network stability. This has been particularly problematic in scenarios where one transaction monopolizes gas resources, leading to failed transactions and inconsistent block performance.
EIP-7983 seeks to mitigate this issue by enforcing a per-transaction gas limit, effectively distributing the gas load across multiple transactions and reducing the risk of a single operation jamming the pipeline. The proposed 16.77 million gas ceiling was selected to support even the most demanding smart contract deployments and DeFi interactions while discouraging inefficient or potentially malicious activity.
“By implementing this limit, Ethereum can enhance its resilience against certain DoS vectors, improve network stability, and provide more predictability to transaction processing costs,” the proposal states.
Enhancing zkVM Compatibility
Beyond the security implications, the gas cap is also aimed at streamlining Ethereum’s compatibility with zero-knowledge virtual machines, or zkVMs. These next-generation computational models are expected to become a cornerstone of Ethereum scaling and privacy solutions. However, zkVMs currently struggle with processing extremely large transactions due to their architecture, which breaks computations into smaller proofs.
By encouraging developers to split gas-intensive transactions into smaller, modular ones, EIP-7983 would make Ethereum more accommodating to zkVMs, potentially accelerating their mainstream adoption.
Despite setting a hard cap, the proposal notes that the vast majority of transactions on the Ethereum network already operate well below the proposed threshold. As such, the authors argue that the change would have minimal impact on day-to-day users and developers.
However, transactions that do exceed the cap would be rejected outright during block validation. This means that any attempt to exceed the 16.77 million gas limit would be invalidated before inclusion in a block, ensuring the new rule is strictly enforced.
The cap itself is distinct from the total block gas limit — a parameter still controlled by validators and miners within the consensus protocol — and is not intended to replace it.
EIP-7983 is not an isolated initiative. It follows earlier efforts like EIP-7825, which aimed to improve the predictability of transaction execution. These proposals are part of a broader philosophical shift led by Buterin, who has increasingly advocated for simplifying Ethereum’s base-layer architecture.
In a May blog post, Buterin argued that Ethereum had grown too complex, which in turn was creating development bottlenecks and security liabilities. Inspired by Bitcoin’s minimalist philosophy, he outlined a vision for restructuring Ethereum across its consensus, execution, and shared components with the goal of creating a leaner and more robust protocol over the next five years.
The Future of Ethereum: Identity, Scaling, and Security
Buterin’s vision for Ethereum goes far beyond transaction mechanics. In recent months, he has unveiled a host of forward-looking ideas — from partially stateless nodes that could support better scaling, to a digital identity framework called "pluralistic identity," which is designed to balance user privacy with verifiable participation in digital systems.
The overarching narrative is clear: Buterin wants to ensure Ethereum remains adaptable and scalable while reducing systemic risks and increasing usability. EIP-7983 is yet another brick in that wall — a targeted upgrade aimed at aligning Ethereum with the future demands of a decentralized internet.
Whether EIP-7983 gains community support and ultimately becomes part of a future hard fork remains to be seen. But with the growing complexity of Ethereum's ecosystem and the ever-present threat of DoS attacks, the proposal shows the importance of keeping the network resilient, secure, and efficient in the face of exponential growth.
Buterin Warns Ethereum Community: Grow Up or Risk Becoming Irrelevant
Meanwhile, in a keynote address that resonated like a wake-up call, Buterin urged the crypto industry to "grow up fast" or risk becoming just another overhyped fad. Speaking to a packed audience at the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC), Buterin outlined a stark reality: decentralization must stop being a marketing slogan and start being a provable user guarantee — or face obsolescence.
As Ethereum recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, Buterin’s remarks struck a balance between concern and constructive criticism. He emphasized that the crypto sector stands at an inflection point, where its founding ideals are being tested against the pressures of mass adoption, political endorsement, and increasingly complex technical systems.
Back to Basics: Trust, Resilience, and Simplicity
Buterin called for a return to Ethereum's core principles — decentralization, trust minimization, and user sovereignty. He warned that too many projects are building systems that fail the very tests that matter. He then laid out a trio of tests that every crypto project should aim to pass if it wants to be truly decentralized:
The Walk-Away Test — If the founding company disappears tomorrow, will users still have access to their assets?
The Insider Attack Test — How much damage can be done if an insider goes rogue or a front-end is compromised?
The Trusted Computing Base Test — How many lines of code must users blindly trust to ensure their funds or data remain safe?
These tests aren’t just theoretical metrics. Buterin pointed out that many layer-2 networks, DeFi apps, and so-called decentralized front-ends secretly rely on central points of failure — including backdoors, upgrade buttons, or weak user interfaces that could be hijacked.
Buterin didn’t spare even the most hyped sectors of crypto, like zero-knowledge (ZK) solutions and privacy-focused apps.
He argued that privacy must evolve from an optional feature to a default setting — something that reduces data leakage automatically rather than relying on user behavior.
This line of thought echoes Buterin’s growing emphasis on Ethereum becoming a simpler, more robust system.
Ethereum’s Next 10 Years — or Its Last?
The urgency in Buterin’s tone wasn’t just for show. With alternative blockchains nipping at Ethereum’s heels — offering faster speeds, lower fees, and often simpler user experiences — the pressure to evolve is mounting.
If Ethereum fails to simplify its design, secure its base layer, and deliver real user protections, Buterin warned, it could fade into irrelevance.
In a world where governments are crafting crypto regulations, major corporations are jumping into the blockchain space, and digital identity is becoming a battleground, Ethereum’s next moves may define not just its own future, but the future of decentralized tech as a whole.
Buterin’s message was clear: maturity isn’t about abandoning ideals — it’s about finally living up to them.
