Are you still bearish on ETH/L2s because you think the chain can’t be scaled any further? This is not the case. Here are 3 ways the @Ethereum Foundation is working on network scalability while still maintaining the high level of security the chain is best known for. A thread

How is Ethereum being scaled today? Most L2s operate through Rollups, where transactions are bundled together and sent to Ethereum for settlement. Traditionally, L2s use Optimistic (OP) Rollups that verify each tx to be accurate before settling it on the L1.

Zero Knowledge (ZK) Rollups are another type of Rollup that’s able to verify txs without revealing any info about the tx itself. How can Ethereum continue to improve the scalability of these Rollups? Through blobs.

Binary Large Objects (blobs) are a storage mechanism for Rollups that take all the metadata from the rolled up txs and attach it to a block of Ethereum txs. The more blobs that can be attached to an Ethereum block, the more Rollup data can be stored per block.

Currently, the Pectra upgrade will let Ethereum store 6 blobs per block, but the Fusaka upgrade (schedule for Q4 of this year) could bring that number up to 72. This means that by EOY, we could see Ethereum processing up to 12x the amount of tx data per block as it is now

ZK proofs will also play a major roll in scaling Ethereum, as they’re generally more efficient than OP Rollups. However, this tech is still in its early phases, so ZK alone isn’t enough to secure the network. Instead, it needs to be combined with a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) prover.

A ZK prover is able to verify a tx to be accurate using complex math. A TEE prover is able to verify a tx to be accurate by running it completely separate from any outside influence. This is what gives it its name: it’s a trustless environment for execution.

When combining the 2 methods, Ethereum can provide nearly instant transaction finality - if both of these systems agree that a tx is accurate, it’s enough proof to settle it instantly. For more info on how TEEs work in combo with ZK, check out my thread on onchain privacy mechanisms: https://x.com/_dcft_/status/1876778763242844410…

ZK is also used today to create ZK-Ethereum Virtual Machines (zk-EVMs). The Ethereum network itself operates on an EVM which is what lets users deploy smart contracts onto the chain. zkEVMs let Ethereum create L2s that have all the benefits of smart contract integration plus ZK powered security.

The real game changer is that zkEVMs can be unified via an aggregation layer such as @Agglayer ❄️ An aggregation layer takes ZK Rollups from multiple zkEVM-powered L2s and combines them all together. This not only creates further scalability, but it can also unify all L2s to behave like one chain.

When the agglayer takes all the incoming txs from all the L2s and brings them into one place, chains can seamlessly interact with one another and send funds crosschain without having to bridge. For a full explanation of @Agglayer ❄️ and how this system works, check out my breakdown here: https://x.com/_dcft_/status/1904254781381648855…

In conclusion: 1. Blob storage capacity increasing = more Rollup data processed per block 2. ZK provers + TEE provers = near instant tx settlement 3. zkEVM aggregation = unified/faster L2s

If you want further breakdowns on any of these topics, check out my free blockchain course at http://dcft.site to become a blockchain pro! Alternatively, check out this blog post by Vitalik that covers these topics in much higher technical detail: https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/a-simple-l2-security-and-finalization-roadmap/23309…