Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum’s next major rebuild will be as big as the Merge — and it’ll take three to four years to finish.
Speaking about the roadmap, Buterin flagged quantum safety as something that’s “shifted up a LOT in priority.” That’s not a small deal. If quantum computing ever breaks elliptic curve cryptography, a lot of crypto breaks with it. Ethereum wants to be ready before that happens.
He also noted that Hegota, the next hard fork due later this year, will probably be Ethereum’s last “pre-Lean” upgrade. That means the chain is moving toward a leaner, more efficient architecture.
The rebuild Buterin’s talking about isn’t just another fork. He’s positioning it alongside the Merge — the 2022 transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake that cut Ethereum’s energy use by 99.9%. If this next phase delivers on its promise, it could reshape how the network operates at a fundamental level.
Three to four years is a long window in crypto. But Ethereum has a track record of shipping big changes, even when they take longer than expected.
