Vitalik Buterin Interview in Chinese: Ethereum POS, Layer 2 and Innovation with AI Integration

On April 7, 2025, Yan, the founder of the DappLearning community, interviewed Vitalik Buterin at the Pop-X HK Research House event in Hong Kong. Below is a summary of the interview content:

Views on POS Upgrade

Vitalik believes that the prices of BTC and ETH are unrelated to POW and POS. The challenge facing ETH is how to convert the success of ecological applications into the value of ETH. It is necessary to think and optimize how to support applications that provide long-term value to ETH holders.

About the PBS Architecture and Centralization Concerns

Vitalik stated that new technologies such as ZK and DAS allow for asymmetric block construction and verification. While the difficulty of constructing blocks may increase, the cost of verification will decrease. This change brings new challenges, necessitating consideration of how to guard against malicious behavior from supernodes.

The Relationship Between Layer1 and Layer2

Vitalik believes that the main issues facing current Layer 2 solutions include: insufficient progress in security, interoperability issues, and high cross-chain transaction costs. He proposed several solutions, such as the Open Intents Framework and the 2 of 3 validation method.

For Layer 1, Vitalik stated that more roles need to be given to ensure the value of ETH. He proposed several solutions to enhance Layer 1 scalability, anticipating that the Gas limit could be increased by 10 times by 2026.

Ethereum Upgrade Plan

Vitalik revealed that the Pectra upgrade is expected to take place at the end of April, while the Fusaka upgrade may occur in Q3 or Q4. To expedite the upgrade process, they are taking measures to improve coordination efficiency.

The Development of Cryptography and AI

Vitalik believes that ZK developers should focus on high-level languages and not pay too much attention to the underlying layers. He is optimistic about the prospects of FHE but also points out that there are some security risks associated with MPC and FHE.

Regarding AI, Vitalik believes it has a "democratizing" effect in certain aspects, which can narrow the gap between experts and novices.

Expectations for the Ethereum Ecosystem

Vitalik hopes that developers can create applications that have real value, are user-friendly, and have sustainable business models. He believes that developers now have more resources than ever, and as long as they find good ideas and execute them well, the chances of success are very high.