Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently articulated an interesting analogy for the future of Ethereum — he hopes that the Ethereum protocol will eventually resemble a finely crafted "hammer," which, once completed, can function stably over the long term without relying on continuous maintenance by developers.

To achieve this goal, Vitalik systematically identified seven key technical areas that need breakthroughs:

First is the fundamental security layer, which requires quantum resistance to prepare Ethereum for future technological challenges. Next, in scalability, solutions like ZK-EVM and PeerDAS are driving dual improvements in network capacity and decentralization. In terms of user experience, universal account models and optimized Gas mechanisms can significantly reduce difficulty and costs.

Decentralization of the ecosystem is also a critical component, requiring the design of block construction mechanisms that resist centralization trends. In financial infrastructure, developing a multi-asset supported decentralized stablecoin system can reduce over-reliance on traditional financial systems. Attention should also be given to democratizing validators and node operations, as well as improving cross-chain interoperability.

Buterin emphasized a key pace of progress — completing at least one major improvement each year. This is not just a technical roadmap issue; fundamentally, it’s about building a resilient, long-term autonomous decentralized ecosystem. In other words, Ethereum should evolve from an ever-changing project into a stable, trustworthy infrastructure.