The Ethereum Basis has printed a step-by-step plan to let Ethereum’s predominant chain validate blocks utilizing zkEVM proofs, lowering the necessity for validators to re-run each computation themselves. The proposal, shared by way of X on Jan. 15 by Tomasz Okay. Stańczak, Co-Govt Director on the Ethereum Basis, lays out the engineering work wanted throughout Ethereum’s execution and consensus purchasers, plus new proving infrastructure and safety processes.
zkEVM on L1 – the planhttps://t.co/KLz7PoH6q9
— Tomasz Okay. Stańczak (@tkstanczak) January 15, 2026
Ethereum L1 Strikes Towards zk Proof-Based mostly Validation
Already in July final yr, the Ethereum Basis introduced its “zk-first” strategy. Right now, Ethereum’s validators sometimes examine a block by re-executing the transactions and evaluating outcomes. The plan proposes another: validators may confirm a cryptographic proof that the block’s execution was right.
The doc summarizes the supposed pipeline in plain phrases: an execution shopper produces a compact “witness” package deal for a block, a standardized zkEVM program makes use of that package deal to generate a proof of right execution, and consensus purchasers confirm that proof throughout block validation.
The primary milestone is creating an “ExecutionWitness,” a per-block knowledge construction containing the knowledge wanted to validate execution with out re-running it. The plan requires a proper witness format in Ethereum’s execution specs, conformance assessments, and a standardized RPC endpoint. It notes that the present debug_executionWitness endpoint is already “being utilized in manufacturing by Optimism’s Kona,” whereas suggesting a extra zk-friendly endpoint could also be wanted.
A key dependency is including higher monitoring of which elements of state a block touches, by way of Block Stage Entry Lists (BALs). The doc says that as of November 2025, this work was not handled as pressing sufficient to be backported to earlier forks.
The following milestone is a “zkEVM visitor program,” described as stateless validation logic that checks whether or not a block produces a sound state transition when mixed with its witness. The plan emphasizes reproducible builds and compiling to standardized targets so assumptions are express and verifiable.
Past Ethereum-specific code, the plan goals to standardize the interface between zkVMs and the visitor program: widespread targets, widespread methods to entry precompiles and I/O, and agreed assumptions about how packages are loaded and executed.
On the consensus aspect, the roadmap requires modifications so consensus purchasers can settle for zk proofs as a part of beacon block validation, with accompanying specs, check vectors, and an inner rollout plan. The doc additionally flags execution payload availability as essential, together with an strategy that would contain “placing the block in blobs.”
The proposal treats proof technology as an operational drawback as a lot as a protocol one. It consists of milestones to combine zkVMs into EF tooling reminiscent of Ethproofs and Ere, check GPU setups (together with “zkboost”), and monitor reliability and bottlenecks.
Benchmarking is framed as ongoing work, with express targets like measuring witness technology time, proof creation and verification time, and the community impression of proof propagation. These measurements may feed into future gasoline repricing proposals for zk-heavy workloads.
Safety can be marked as perpetual, with plans for formal specs, monitoring, supply-chain controls like reproducible builds and artifact signing, and a documented belief and risk mannequin. The doc proposes a “go/no-go framework” for deciding when proof programs are mature sufficient for broader use.
One exterior dependency stands out: ePBS, which the doc describes as vital to provide provers extra time. With out it, the plan says the prover has “1–2 seconds” to create a proof; with it, “6–9 seconds.” The doc provides a two-sentence framing that captures the urgency: “This isn’t a venture that we’re engaged on. Nonetheless, it’s an optimization that we want.” It expects ePBS to be deployed in “Glamsterdam,” focused for mid-2026.
If these milestones land, Ethereum could be shifting towards proof-based validation as a sensible choice on L1, whereas the timing and operational complexity of proving stay the gating elements.
At press time, ETH traded at $3,300.
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