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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has provided details about its upcoming ‘Verge’ update. This major upgrade aims to make Ethereum more secure, user-friendly, and enable its nodes to run even on small devices. The Verge will utilize ‘stateless verification’ to validate blockchain blocks without storing extensive amounts of data, making it easier for smaller devices to verify the chain. Additionally, Ethereum plans to revamp its gas cost system, and explore Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge (STARKs) for improved security and scalability.

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Vitalik Buterin, one of the folks who started Ethereum, has been talking about the next big update for the network, known as “The Verge.” This update is aimed at making Ethereum more secure and easier to use, and will allow Ethereum nodes to run on all sorts of devices, even really tiny ones like your phone or a smart watch.

The Verge will cut down the tech needed by using something called “stateless verification.” What this means is that nodes will be able to check and confirm blockchain blocks without having to store massive amounts of data.

Okay, quick detour. What’s a “stateless verification”? Well, Ethereum’s got a problem. As it gets bigger, it takes more and more data to run a node. We’re talking hundreds of gigabytes worth, according to some recent research. The Verge will be able to introduce stateless verification, which Vitalik says will make it much easier for even small devices like mobile wallets and smart watches to fully verify the chain. Not having to store the entire blockchain makes it much easier on Ethereum nodes and users, including those who are staking on their own.

Here’s where we get a bit more technical. Vitalik’s mentioned Verkle trees, which are techy structures designed to shrink proof sizes and make stateless validation doable. He knows there’s concern about Verkle trees being vulnerable to quantum computing, though. To get around this, the development team is looking at something called Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge (or STARKs for short), which could offer better security and scalability in the long run.

Other changes coming with The Verge include updates to the network’s gas cost system. The main idea is to better adjust gas fees for some heavy-duty cryptographic operations to keep the network growing and secure. This would also introduce what Vitalik calls “multidimensional gas,” separating gas costs for different parts to offer better handling of Ethereum’s resources. By making these changes, Vitalik hopes to make it easier for anyone to stake on their own, even on smaller devices.

Source: Cointelegraph