Vitalik Buterin outlines Ethereum roadmap for faster block times and STARK adoption

In a keynote address at the 2026 Shanghai Blockchain International Week, Vitalik Buterin stated that Ethereum plans to fully adopt STARKs within the next two years. He noted that future upgrades aim to reduce block times to 4–8 seconds and finality to 8–32 seconds, down from the current 12-second block time and 16-minute finality. He also highlighted that AI is accelerating formal verification for more secure cryptographic systems.