Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published a New Year's message on Thursday summarizing the network's technical progress and reminding readers of its original mission. He noted that in 2025, Ethereum achieved significant improvements in speed, reliability, and its ability to handle growth without sacrificing its decentralized structure. These changes include reducing bottlenecks and simplifying software deployment, bringing the network closer to the idea of a shared computational layer.
Progress in 2025
Buterin emphasized that developers focused on enhancing network performance and stability, making Ethereum faster and more reliable. He pointed to improvements that enable the network to process more activity, reduce bottlenecks, and ease working with the software supporting the network. As a result, he believes these technical steps not only demonstrate milestones but also lay the foundation for broader adoption.
Ethereum as the 'World Computer'
Buterin revisited the concept of Ethereum as the 'world computer'—a neutral, shared platform for applications that operate without reliance on centralized intermediaries. He explained that applications should function without fraud, censorship, or third-party control, even if the original developers stop maintaining the project. A key benchmark he highlighted is the 'walkaway test,' the idea that the system must continue operating regardless of who supports it.
Challenges and Requirements
According to Buterin, realizing this vision requires Ethereum to simultaneously meet two demands: be suitable for global use and remain truly decentralized. These challenges affect both the core blockchain infrastructure and the software people use to run nodes and interact with the network, as well as applications built on top that often rely on centralized services. To understand which technical solutions impact node operation and mining, it’s worthwhile to review recent materials on node setup and their impact on mining.
Outlook
Buterin noted that progress is already underway and that powerful tools are now available to further advance the idea. He framed his message as a reminder of goals rather than a roadmap for a single upgrade, emphasizing that the aim is to make Ethereum a robust infrastructure for finance, identity, governance, and other foundational services. The next phase, he said, will involve moving from technical upgrades to real-world application and testing the network’s ideals at scale.
Why It Matters
For miners in Russia operating anywhere from one to a thousand devices, Buterin’s statements clarify the network’s development direction. Improvements in speed and reliability mean the network can handle more transactions and load, while reducing bottlenecks simplifies node maintenance and network interaction. At the same time, the demands for decentralization and the 'walkaway test' indicate that key development decisions aim to ensure services continue functioning even if major providers exit.
What to Do?
- Keep your node and mining software updated promptly to benefit from stability and performance improvements.
- Plan for fault tolerance: have backup connection methods and node recovery strategies in case your provider encounters issues.
- Stay informed about infrastructure changes and community recommendations; materials on node impact and network operation practices, as well as reviews of architectural solutions like Verkle Trees, are useful.
- Assess your applications’ and services’ reliance on centralized providers and reduce it where possible to align with decentralization principles.