> At a Glance
> – Vitalik Buterin says the blockchain trilemma is solved with live Ethereum code
> – PeerDAS and ZK-EVMs already running on mainnet
> – Roadmap targets 2026 for bigger gas limits and ZK-EVM nodes
> – Why it matters: Ethereum’s shift could enable large-scale apps without censorship or downtime
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin declared over the weekend that the long-standing blockchain trilemma-balancing decentralization, security, and scalability-has been solved with live code, not theory.
The Trilemma Claim
In a January 3 post on X, Buterin pointed to PeerDAS and zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (ZK-EVMs) as the breakthroughs. He wrote:
> “The trilemma has been solved-not on paper, but with live running code.”
Data availability sampling is already active, and ZK-EVMs have hit production-quality performance, though safety work continues.
Network Design Shift
Buterin contrasted Ethereum’s new structure with earlier systems:
- BitTorrent: high bandwidth, no consensus
- Bitcoin: strong consensus and decentralization, low throughput
- Ethereum today: combines all three via PeerDAS and ZK-EVMs
He called the change “a fundamentally new and more powerful kind of decentralized network.”
Multi-Year Roadmap
Buterin outlined upcoming milestones:
| Milestone | Target |
|---|---|
| Larger gas limit increases | 2026 |
| ZK-EVM nodes available | Early 2026 |
| ZK-EVMs validate most blocks | 2030 |
Distributed block building remains a longer-term goal to reduce central control over transaction ordering.
Community Reactions
CryptoSensei emphasized that PeerDAS being live makes the claims harder to dismiss as theory.
Solana developer Mert Mumtaz rejected the trilemma outright:
> “It is not a real thing. the trilemma does not actually exist today.”
Market Context
Despite major 2025 upgrades like Pectra and Fusaka, ETH price lagged amid worries over layer-2 reliance and large staking operators. Buterin’s message reframes the debate from short-term price to whether Ethereum can support censorship-resistant, low-cost applications at scale.
Key Takeaways
- Ethereum’s live code now achieves decentralization, security, and scalability simultaneously
- PeerDAS and ZK-EVMs are operational, not proposals
- 2026 will bring bigger gas limits and early ZK-EVM node access
- The shift aims to enable large-scale apps without downtime or censorship
Buterin’s declaration signals Ethereum’s evolution from theory to a network ready for mass adoption.
