Ethereum Foundation co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang said in an interview with CoinDesk that zero-knowledge proofs are becoming a central pillar of Ethereum’s midterm roadmap. According to Wang, recent breakthroughs have pushed the technology beyond theory and into practical, protocol-level use.
Wang noted that major progress over the past one to two years has made zero-knowledge cryptography increasingly viable for core network functions. Having played a key role in the design of The Merge, he described this shift as a natural evolution for Ethereum.
In the near term, Ethereum remains focused on improving execution performance and expanding blob space capacity for layer-2 networks. However, Wang emphasized that zero-knowledge proofs could eventually become a fundamental part of the Ethereum mainnet itself.
This model would allow the network to verify block correctness through compact and verifiable cryptographic proofs. Researchers are already exploring native zkEVM designs, pointing toward a long-term vision where Ethereum scales efficiently while preserving security, censorship resistance, and neutrality.
