The Ethereum Basis has printed a step-by-step plan to let Ethereum’s fundamental chain validate blocks utilizing zkEVM proofs, decreasing the necessity for validators to re-run each computation themselves. The proposal, shared through X on Jan. 15 by Tomasz Ok. Stańczak, Co-Govt Director on the Ethereum Basis, lays out the engineering work wanted throughout Ethereum’s execution and consensus shoppers, plus new proving infrastructure and safety processes.
zkEVM on L1 – the planhttps://t.co/KLz7PoH6q9
— Tomasz Ok. 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” method. At present, Ethereum’s validators usually examine a block by re-executing the transactions and evaluating outcomes. The plan proposes another: validators might confirm a cryptographic proof that the block’s execution was right.
The doc summarizes the meant pipeline in plain phrases: an execution consumer 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 shoppers confirm that proof throughout block validation.
The primary milestone is creating an “ExecutionWitness,” a per-block information construction containing the data 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, through Block Degree 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 legitimate 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 applications are loaded and executed.
On the consensus aspect, the roadmap requires modifications so consensus shoppers 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 method that might contain “placing the block in blobs.”
The proposal treats proof era as an operational drawback as a lot as a protocol one. It contains milestones to combine zkVMs into EF tooling akin to Ethproofs and Ere, check GPU setups (together with “zkboost”), and observe reliability and bottlenecks.
Benchmarking is framed as ongoing work, with express targets like measuring witness era time, proof creation and verification time, and the community influence of proof propagation. These measurements might feed into future fuel 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 menace mannequin. The doc proposes a “go/no-go framework” for deciding when proof techniques are mature sufficient for broader use.
One exterior dependency stands out: ePBS, which the doc describes as needed to present 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 undertaking that we’re engaged on. Nevertheless, 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 transferring towards proof-based validation as a sensible possibility on L1, whereas the timing and operational complexity of proving stay the gating components.
At press time, ETH traded at $3,300.
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