In a new technical vision for Ethereum’s base layer, Vitalik Buterin has used the ethereum strawmap to explain how the protocol could become both faster and more secure by 2029.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has broken down sweeping changes to the network’s core consensus design after the Ethereum Foundation published its long-range “strawmap”. This research document sketches how the protocol could accelerate layer-1 upgrades through the end of the decade while tightening finality guarantees.
Today, Ethereum’s average finality remains relatively slow at roughly 16 minutes. However, Buterin explained that one of the roadmap’s central goals, dubbed “fast L1,” is to progressively reduce both slot duration and time to finality without compromising security.
Under the proposed trajectory, ethereum slot times could gradually fall from the current 12 seconds to as low as 2 seconds. Moreover, finality could compress dramatically to a range between 6 and 16 seconds by adopting a one-round BFT-style algorithm known as Minimmit.
Buterin stressed that any reduction in slot length would be incremental and carefully tested. That said, he suggested a potential trajectory that reduces times according to a “sqrt(2) at a time” formula, ensuring each tightening step is proven safe on mainnet before further adjustments.
To make faster slots viable, several enablers are required at the networking and consensus layers. One pillar is erasure coded networking, which uses erasure coding to improve block propagation efficiency across the peer-to-peer layer, even as blocks and throughput grow.
Another key architectural adjustment involves cutting signature aggregation overhead. Moreover, the roadmap calls for reduced attester counts per slot so that validators can reach consensus quickly without overburdening the network with signatures and verification work.
The ethereum strawmap was introduced by Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake as a coordination and research tool rather than a binding specification. However, it provides a structured view of how the protocol might evolve through seven projected forks that extend out to 2029.
Drake’s document identifies five long-term “north stars” for the roadmap. These include a fast base layer, gigagas L1 throughput, “teragas” scaling for layer-2 solutions, robust post quantum security, and native privacy features at the protocol level.
The roadmap groups changes across the consensus, data, and execution layers. Moreover, each projected fork bundles specific improvements, from networking optimizations to cryptographic upgrades, to gradually transform Ethereum into a higher-throughput and more secure settlement layer.
At the heart of the proposed finality overhaul is the Minimmit finality algorithm, a one-round BFT-style approach that aims to drastically cut the time it takes for blocks to become irreversible. That said, the roadmap envisions deploying Minimmit only after extensive testing and incremental rollouts.
Buterin also highlighted more invasive future changes, particularly around cryptography. Over time, Ethereum’s current signature schemes could be replaced with quantum-resistant, hash-based signatures as part of a gradual “ship of Theseus” style transformation of the consensus system.
These upgrades are designed to prepare the network for a world where large-scale quantum computers might threaten existing cryptographic primitives. Moreover, they are meant to integrate with privacy enhancements and end-to-end formal verification, reinforcing Ethereum’s role as a secure settlement backbone.
While the strawmap is not an official, locked-in roadmap, it sends a clear signal about Ethereum’s direction. The focus on faster slots, lower finality times, and improved cryptography points to a future where user experience on the base layer feels far more responsive.
For developers building on Ethereum, the fast L1 roadmap and associated forks through 2029 outline how capacity and security could evolve. Moreover, the emphasis on formal verification and native privacy suggests that smart contracts and applications may gain stronger guarantees at the protocol level over time.
In summary, the strawmap frames how Ethereum could move from 12-second slots and 16-minute finality to near-instant confirmation windows, all while scaling throughput and hardening against quantum-era threats.
