Researchers at the Ethereum Foundation have published a technical draft roadmap, dubbed a "strawmap," outlining seven proposed network forks to be completed by 2029. This ambitious plan targets significantly faster slot times, near-instant transaction finality, and robust post-quantum security.
The strawmap, described as a "discussion document" rather than a fixed plan, is guided by five key technical goals. These include achieving "fast L1" with shorter slot times and rapid finality, "gigagas L1" for processing approximately 10,000 transactions per second via zkEVMs, and "teragas L2" aiming for 10 million transactions per second through data availability sampling.
Furthermore, the roadmap addresses "Post-Quantum L1" to secure Ethereum against future quantum computing threats and "Private L1" to introduce native privacy for ETH transfers at the protocol level. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin highlighted the potential for slot times to decrease from the current 12 seconds to as low as 2 seconds, and finality times from 16 minutes to potentially 8 seconds.
Major cryptographic upgrades are planned alongside these speed enhancements, with ongoing evaluation of responses to hash vulnerabilities. The incorporation of shielded ETH transfers signifies a move towards integrated privacy, and the focus on post-quantum cryptography underscores long-term security planning. While implementation dates are not guaranteed, the strawmap presents a structured vision for Ethereum's evolution towards enhanced speed, scalability, privacy, and quantum resistance.