2026 Expected to be Ethereum ZK Scaling Turning Point: Verification Mechanism to Undergo Merger-Level Transformation

Researchers and developers predict that 2026 will be a crucial year for Ethereum to achieve exponential scaling through zero-knowledge proofs (ZK). At that time, some Ethereum validators will no longer re-execute transactions, but will directly verify ZK proofs, fundamentally changing the way blockchain operates, comparable in scale to Ethereum's transition from PoW to PoS in 2022 (The Merge). Ethereum researcher Justin Drake stated that the initial validators will begin verifying ZK proofs for each block, rather than re-executing all transactions, bringing instant scaling effects to Layer1 and laying the foundation for future 10,000 TPS. Currently, Ethereum mainnet throughput is around 30 TPS. Drake demonstrated during Devconnect that ZK proof verification can be done using old laptops, and by the end of 2026, approximately 10% of validators will switch to ZK verification mode (Lean Execution Phase 1). This shift will significantly reduce hardware requirements for validation nodes while maintaining network decentralization. Ethereum Besu client engineer Gary Schulte noted that future compute-intensive work will be mainly handled by block builders and ZK provers, with regular validators only needing to perform lightweight verification, creating conditions for increasing gas limits and overall throughput. On the roadmap, Ethereum is currently in Phase 0 (voluntary validation), expected to enter Phase 1 (partial validator switch) in 2026, and move into Phase 2 in 2027, requiring block producers to generate ZK proofs, achieving full ZK execution.

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