TL;DR:
- Vitalik Buterin acknowledged the historical lack of P2P network expertise within the Ethereum Foundation.
- The co-founder celebrated the success of PeerDAS, a key component for scalability through sharding.
- BitMine Immersion Technologies bought 138,452 ETH ($435M), making a strategic bet on the network’s roadmap.
It was announced this Tuesday that Vitalik Buterin has addressed one of the most persistent technical gaps in the Ethereum network. The network’s co-founder used his X account to acknowledge that the Ethereum Foundation had historically underestimated the peer-to-peer (P2P) network layer, focusing excessively on cryptoeconomics, BFT consensus, and block-level research.
But he also noted that this sentiment has changed radically. He pointed to the early performance of PeerDAS as clear proof that the Foundation can now implement complex network improvements at scale, taking the opportunity to congratulate Raúl Jordan and his team for getting the system running.
He clarified that PeerDAS is a vital prototype for Data Availability Sampling (DAS), a fundamental factor for Ethereum Network Scalability through sharding. This innovation allows light clients to verify the publication of all data by sampling only small portions, drastically improving processing capacity without compromising decentralization or security.
The commitment to Ethereum Network Scalability also extends to the network’s economy. Buterin highlighted the need to establish an on-chain gas futures market, arguing that prediction markets based on BASEFEE could offer users clearer expectations about future costs and allow teams to hedge against congestion risk years in advance.
Institutional Interest Accelerates the Roadmap
Buterin’s publication arrives at a time of renewed and potent institutional accumulation. For example, last week, BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate holder of ETH, made a massive purchase of 138,452 tokens, valued at around $435 million dollars. This acquisition raises the firm’s treasury to 3.86 million ETH.
In this regard, BitMine Chairman Thomas Lee said that the pace of buying accelerated after the Fusaka upgrade and due to the expectation that easing global macroeconomic conditions will support risk assets into early 2026.
The company frames its move as a long-term strategic bet on Ethereum’s execution layer and its scaling roadmap, rather than a short-term positioning play.
In summary, the confluence between Buterin’s technical push for a more robust network layer and the massive institutional demand for ETH is key. This convergence will likely shape sentiment surrounding the next phase of Ethereum Network Scalability, especially while the debate over the future cost of block space continues to be a central topic within the community.
