Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin posted an updated version of his 2023 roadmap diagram, laying it side by side with the network’s current development plan, known as the Strawmap. The comparison shows quantum safety climbing the priority list, several 2023 items dropped entirely, and a handful of new proposals that did not exist three years ago. Buterin published the update directly on X, tying specific 2023 goals to where each one now sits in current development.
How the 2023 Roadmap Compares to the Strawmap Today
Buterin wrote that the two roadmaps share a lot of overlap, but the underlying priorities have shifted. Verifiable Delay Functions and a batch of EVM improvements got cut from the plan entirely. The Verkle tree design, once a centerpiece of the 2023 roadmap, gave way first to a unified binary tree and then to a further design Buterin calls PBT.
The biggest changes are additions that were not in the 2023 diagram at all. One cluster centers on privacy, covering keyed nonces and recent roots, parts of a proposal called FOCIL, and a privacy pool built around a mechanism Buterin named wormholes.
A second cluster pairs post-quantum cryptography with scaling, including leanSPHINCS signatures and a proposal called zkzk frames, which combines post-quantum signatures with STARK aggregation and is currently under discussion on Ethereum Magicians.
Buterin also described a new state type model as a different approach to scaling rather than a rebrand of the network’s older state-expiry plan. He said one particular verification tool is expected to run across three separate layers of the protocol, calling that reuse safe only with formal verification, and calling formal verification at that scale feasible only because of modern AI tools.
What This Means for Ethereum Holders
None of these proposals carry an official EIP number yet, and the Strawmap remains Buterin’s own synthesis of work from dozens of Ethereum researchers and developers rather than a locked specification. For newer holders, the update signals that Ethereum’s long-term security work now leans more heavily on quantum resistance and user privacy than it did in 2023.
We cover developments like this across our altcoins section as they move through the Ethereum research pipeline. The Ethereum Foundation has also been narrowing its own focus lately, and our coverage of the Foundation’s leaner approach helps explain the coordination Buterin says will decide which of these ideas move forward.
The Two Open Questions Buterin Left Unanswered
Two decisions will shape how fast this moves. The first is which instruction set Ethereum eventually exposes to users if the EVM stops being the base layer, with leanISA and RISC-V named as the leading candidates. The second is how quickly the zkzk frame proposal advances past discussion on Ethereum Magicians. Buterin said coordination between client teams and the Ethereum Foundation will determine which ideas move forward next, without giving a timeline for either.
Buterin closed his post with a list of guarantees rather than dates, stating that Ethereum will be quantum-safe, privacy-first, secure, censorship-resistant, scalable, and lean.
What this means for you: This is a research roadmap, not a live upgrade, so nothing changes on Ethereum today, but it shows the direction quantum safety and privacy work is heading toward in the years ahead.
