Vitalik Buterin Proposes Multi-Tiered State Design to Achieve 1000x Ethereum Scaling

TLDR: Ethereum state grows 100 GB yearly; 20x scaling would create 8 TB state in four years for builders. Strong statelessness and state expiry solutions face backwards compatibility issues with existing apps. New temporary storage resets monthly while UTXO systems enable zero-duration expiry for cost savings. Developers can keep using permanent storage initially, then migrate to cheaper tiers over time gradually. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has unveiled a comprehensive proposal to address state scaling challenges on the network. The plan introduces new forms of state storage alongside existing mechanisms to achieve 1000x scalability. Posted on February 5, Buterin’s proposal acknowledges that while Ethereum has clear pathways for scaling execution and data, state scaling remains fundamentally different and requires innovative solutions. Asymmetric Scaling Challenge Creates Need for Alternative Approach Buterin outlined in his post on X that Ethereum faces different scaling realities across three critical resources. “We want 1000x scale on Ethereum L1. We roughly know how to do this for execution and data. But scaling state is fundamentally harder,” he stated. Execution can achieve 1000x gains through ZK-EVMs, while data scaling reaches similar levels via PeerDAS technology. However, state scaling lacks such breakthrough solutions. Hyper-scaling Ethereum state by creating new forms of state:https://t.co/FCRfsG5k0i Summary: * We want 1000x scale on Ethereum L1. We roughly know how to do this for execution and data. But scaling state is fundamentally harder.* The most practical path for Ethereum may… pic.twitter.com/6bQb9q64iA — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 5, 2026 Current state grows at 100 GB annually, and a 20x increase would create 2 TB yearly growth. After four years, this results in 8 TB total state size that builders must maintain. The proposal explains that database efficiency and syncing present major obstacles. Modern client databases str...