Ethereum's Future Unveiled: Key Insights from the 13th AMA with Ethereum Foundation Researchers

　　The Ethereum Foundation research team conducted their 13th Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) session on February 25, 2025, engaging with the community on Reddit. This session covered a wide array of topics, including EXECUTE precompiles, native Rollups, Blob fee models, DA value capture, block building finality, L2 strategy reflections, Verge, VDF, encrypted mempools, and academic funding. Below is a detailed summary of the key discussions and technical insights from the AMA.

　　Native Rollups and EXECUTE Precompiles*

　　A community member raised concerns about the current limitations of L2 solutions, such as admin backdoors and the inability to upgrade, which could render them obsolete. Justin Drake from the Ethereum Foundation clarified the distinction between execution sharding and native Rollups. Execution sharding involves a single chain with a preset template, while native Rollups offer customizable chains with flexible sequencing, data availability, governance, bridging, and fee settings. Drake emphasized that native Rollups align more closely with Ethereum's programmable ethos.

　　Drake also discussed the potential of EXECUTE precompiles, which could provide a path for L2s to maintain full L1 security and EVM equivalence without the need for security committees. He noted that while the concept is still in its early stages, there is significant interest from major Rollup developers.

　　Blob Fee Model Optimization*

　　Questions were raised about the simplicity of the Blob fee model, which currently has a minimum fee of 1 Wei. Vitalik Buterin suggested that the protocol should remain simple and avoid over-optimizing for short-term scenarios. He proposed a super-exponential base fee adjustment to quickly reach a new equilibrium during periods of high demand.

　　Ansgar Dietrichs and Barnabé Monnot from the Ethereum Foundation also weighed in, discussing the challenges of transitioning from non-congested to congested periods and the potential for future adjustments to the Blob fee model.

　　DA and L1/L2 Value Capture*

　　Justin Drake addressed concerns about the reduction in L1 value accumulation due to L2 expansion. He explained that blockchain revenue primarily comes from congestion fees and competition fees (MEV). Drake highlighted that data availability (DA) is the only sustainable source of income for L1, given the fundamental scarcity of home network bandwidth.

　　Block Building Finality*

　　Questions about the finality of block building on Ethereum were also discussed. Justin Drake clarified the differences between APS (Advance Proposer Commitment) and ePBS (enhanced Proposer-Builder Separation), emphasizing that APS aims to eliminate the need for intermediaries like gateways.

　　L2 Strategy Reflection*

　　Ansgar Dietrichs reflected on Ethereum's focus on L2 solutions, stating that Rollups are the only principled way to scale blockchain to the level required for a global economic base layer. He acknowledged that while the strategy is sound, more attention should have been paid to the path and intermediate user experience.

　　ETH Economic Security Risks*

　　Justin Drake discussed the economic security of Ethereum, noting that with approximately $80 billion in slashable economic security, Ethereum is the most secure blockchain. He emphasized the importance of maintaining high economic security to defend against potential attacks, including those from nation-states.

　　Mainnet Scaling and Fee Reduction Plans*

　　Vitalik Buterin outlined plans to enhance mainnet scalability and reduce transaction fees, including increasing the number of Blobs, optimizing interoperability, and moderately raising the L1 Gas limit.

　　Future Application Scenarios and L1/L2 Synergy*

　　Ansgar Dietrichs provided insights into the envisioned applications and use cases for Ethereum in the short, medium, and long term, emphasizing the importance of both L1 and L2 activities working in synergy.

　　Verge Choices and Hash Functions*

　　Vitalik Buterin discussed the ongoing debate about the choice between Verkle trees, STARK-friendly hash functions, and conservative hash functions for the Verge upgrade. He suggested that the community is leaning towards STARK-friendly hash functions but noted that no final decision has been made.

　　VDF Progress*

　　Dmitry Khovratovich provided an update on VDF (Verifiable Delay Function) progress, stating that there is currently no ideal candidate and that the project is on hold until new models and constructions are developed.

　　Block Time and Finality Time Adjustments*

　　Barnabé Monnot and Francesco D’Amato discussed the potential for shortening block times and finality times, with a focus on achieving single-slot finality (SSF) as the best opportunity to reduce both.

　　FOCIL and Encrypted Mempools*

　　Justin Drake and Julian Ma explained that encrypted mempools and FOCIL (Forced Inclusion List) are complementary rather than mutually exclusive. FOCIL focuses on mandatory inclusion, while encrypted mempools enhance privacy.

　　Gas and Blob Limit Voting*

　　Vitalik Buterin suggested that allowing stakers to vote on Blob limits, similar to Gas limits, could be a good idea, provided that clients coordinate more frequently on default Gas voting parameters.

　　Fusaka and Glamsterdam Upgrade Features*

　　Francesco D’Amato and Barnabé Monnot discussed the potential features for the Fusaka and Glamsterdam upgrades, emphasizing the importance of PeerDAS for L2 scaling and FOCIL for anti-censorship.

　　Forcing L2 Decentralization*

　　Vitalik Buterin addressed the possibility of forcing L2 decentralization through EIPs, suggesting that native Rollups could provide a path for L2s to adopt higher security standards without mandatory enforcement.

　　Ethereum's Biggest Existential Risk*

　　Vitalik Buterin identified superintelligent AI as the biggest existential risk to Ethereum, potentially rendering blockchain technology irrelevant if a single entity gains control over global resources.

　　Alt-DA Impact on ETH Holders*

　　Vitalik Buterin expressed hope for a dedicated R&D team to explore ideal Plasma-like designs that could enhance user security even when using alternative DA solutions.

　　Hardware Wallet Future Vision*

　　Justin Drake and Vitalik Buterin shared their visions for the future of hardware wallets, emphasizing the importance of secure hardware, interface security, and widespread adoption.

　　2025 L1 Gas Limit Target*

　　Toni Wahrstätter discussed the ongoing debate about increasing the L1 Gas limit, noting that while some advocate for higher limits, the focus should remain on L2 scaling and DAS technologies.

　　Beam Client Transition*

　　Vitalik Buterin and Justin Drake discussed the potential transition to Beam clients, suggesting that a straightforward upgrade without a parallel running period would be feasible.

　　2025 Academic Grants Program*

　　Fredrik Svantes and Alexander Hicks outlined the priority research areas for the 2025 academic grants program, including P2P security, fuzz testing, supply chain risks, and LLM applications. They emphasized the importance of integrating academic research into Ethereum's roadmap.

　　This AMA session provided valuable insights into the ongoing developments and future directions of Ethereum, highlighting the community's commitment to innovation and scalability.