Vitalik Buterin believes Ethereum Layer-2 networks are close to solving the interoperability problem Vitalik Buterin believes Ethereum Layer-2 networks are close to solving the interoperability problem
Buterin said "people will be surprised" at how soon many of the mainstay challenges will be overcome.
2 min read
Updated: Aug. 7, 2024 at 1:14 am UTC
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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin forecasts a rapid resolution of cross-Layer-2 interoperability issues within the Ethereum ecosystem.
Buterin said in an Aug. 5 social media post that recent advancements and collaborative efforts will soon eliminate current challenges. He added:
“I think people will be surprised by how quickly ‘cross-L2 interoperability problems’ stop being problems and we get a smooth user experience across the entire Ethereum-verse.”
His comments highlight ongoing efforts to streamline user interactions across Ethereum’s Layer-1 and Layer-2 (L2) networks, including rollups, validiums, and sidechains.
L2 solutions for Ethereum face significant challenges, including ensuring interoperability across different Layer-2 networks, maintaining high-security standards, and addressing scalability issues such as data availability and transaction throughput.
User experience complexities and the need for seamless integration with existing infrastructure also pose hurdles.
Roadmap
Buterin shared his roadmap for achieving seamless cross-L2 interoperability, emphasizing several crucial Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs):
- EIP-3770: Proposes a new address format for wallets and decentralized applications, using readable prefixes for different chains to improve user experience and manageability.
- EIP-7683: Focuses on establishing a standardized method for layer-2 networks to communicate and trade across different chains via liquidity providers, simplifying current processes.
- EIP-3668: Introduces a standardized approach for Ethereum smart contracts to efficiently access off-chain data, referred to as “Layer-2 light clients,” which could lower data storage costs on-chain.
Buterin also outlined future developments aimed at enhancing cross-L2 interactions, including keystore rollups and proof aggregation. He expects these advancements to significantly improve Ethereum’s scalability and interoperability.
However, experts believe that the transition to zk-rollups for Ethereum finalization may take several years.
Earlier this year, financial services firm VanEck projected that Ethereum’s L2 scaling solutions could reach a $1 trillion market cap within the next six years. The prediction highlights the growing importance and potential of these developments within the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
As Ethereum evolves, Buterin’s focus on improving interoperability among layer-2 networks aims to make the ecosystem more robust and versatile, paving the way for broader adoption and innovation.
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Author 
Assad Jafri
AJ, a passionate journalist since Yemen's 2011 Arab Spring, has honed his skills worldwide for over a decade. Specializing in financial journalism, he now focuses on crypto reporting.
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Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps).
VanEck
VanEck is a global investment manager with offices around the world, including New York, Australia, China, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland.
Vitalik Buterin stands as the pioneering force behind Ethereum, a transformative community-driven platform that fuels the cryptocurrency ether (ETH) and underpins a myriad of decentralized applications.