Buterin Calls for Higher Ethereum Gas Limits to Support Layer 2 Growth

In a recent blog post, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin addressed the potential increase in Ethereum's Layer-1 (L1) gas limits. While he views Layer-2 (L2) protocols as the blockchain's future, Buterin argues that enhancing L1 gas limits will bolster Ethereum's functionality and uphold its core vision.

Buterin elaborated on the necessity of managing harmful activities across multiple layers, suggesting measures such as isolating questionable ERC-20 tokens and enabling large-scale user exits from L2 projects.

Despite Ethereum facing ongoing challenges including leadership issues and community pressure, Buterin promotes a critical reform: an increase in gas limits. The uncertainty around Ethereum's viability as an investment by 2025 has not deterred him. He advocates for this change, emphasizing its importance for security and development.

"In a predominantly L2 world, considerable scaling remains valuable as it allows simpler and safer application development patterns. This discussion does not advocate for more L1 applications universally but highlights that a ~10x L1 scaling has long-term value," Buterin stated.

Gas limits play a crucial role in Ethereum's framework, and for months, Buterin has advocated for their increase. His previous roadmap, "The Surge," barely mentioned gas limits, focusing on a significant L2 expansion. But over time, his vision evolved to emphasize the role of gas limits in enhancing L2 capabilities.

Buterin outlined how increased L1 gas limits would bolster Ethereum's use cases, showing their foundational role for L2 systems. Higher gas limits could offer the ecosystem improved defenses against malicious activities while conferring other advantages. L1's greater decentralization compared to L2, for example, could provide users with enhanced flexibility to divest from risky protocols swiftly. Additionally, a robust L1 structure could help in isolating hostile ERC-20 tokens.

He further detailed several use cases that might benefit from higher L1 gas limits, such as wallet operations and proof submissions. Yet, whether his proposals gain traction remains uncertain. Amidst Ethereum's significant challenges, Buterin argues that a 10x increase in L1 gas limits would be beneficial over the next two years.

This proposal underscores Buterin's long-term commitment to Ethereum's growth. His confidence is echoed by investors buying in despite declining prices. The current crisis has not hindered Buterin's capacity to plan for Ethereum's evolution, envisioning its trajectory for years ahead.

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