8-9-2025 – The Ethereum development team has introduced leanVM, a new virtual machine designed to optimize zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) processing and enhance post-quantum security, as announced during the latest Ethereum consensus layer developers’ meeting.
LeanVM, first reported by CoinDesk, features a minimal architecture with just four instructions, enabling efficient formal verification and operation on low-powered devices like a $7 Raspberry Pi Pico. It leverages multilinear STARKs for faster, more compact consensus and introduces a sampling technique to reduce commitment costs.
By aggregating thousands of signatures into a single proof, leanVM aims to cut scaling costs and achieve a tenfold speed improvement over its current 2.7-second CPU processing time. This aligns with Ethereum’s long-term roadmap, which includes the recent Pectra hard fork and upcoming Fusaka and Glamsterdam upgrades scheduled for November 2025.The virtual machine strengthens Ethereum’s resilience against potential quantum computing threats, a growing concern in blockchain security.
While not directly integrated into the mainnet, leanVM will evolve in parallel as part of the Lean Ethereum architecture, supporting the network’s scalability and security goals. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has previously emphasized the need for such technical advancements to future-proof the platform.
