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Introduction

The Hybrid Framework is a direct implementation of a forward-thinking proposal for Ethereum's evolution: transitioning the execution environment from the EVM to RISC-V. This initiative, inspired by Vitalik Buterin's vision, aims to fundamentally enhance the efficiency, performance, and future-proofing of the Ethereum mainnet and its entire ecosystem.

The core idea is to replace the aging, complex EVM with a modern, standardized, and highly efficient instruction set architecture (ISA): RISC-V. As Vitalik noted, this change targets a primary bottleneck in Ethereum's scalability.

"...ZK-EVM provers today already work by proving over implementations of the EVM compiled down to RISC-V... give smart contract developers access to that RISC-V VM directly."

— Vitalik Buterin, "Long-term L1 execution layer proposal: replace the EVM with RISC-V" link

By moving closer to the "metal" that provers already use, we can unlock significant performance gains, simplify the protocol, and open the door to a new generation of powerful, efficient smart contracts.

The Challenge: A Seamless Transition

Any architectural shift of this magnitude carries immense risk. A hard fork that invalidates the existing ecosystem of smart contracts and developer tools would be catastrophic. The challenge is to evolve without fracturing the network.

This transition is best understood through the analogy of hardware architecture changes:

  • The Video Game Console Model: Each new generation is a "hard break." Old games don't run on new consoles without special, often limited, emulation. This forces developers and users into a costly and disruptive upgrade cycle. For Ethereum, this path is a non-starter.
  • The Apple Model: Apple has successfully navigated multiple ISA transitions (68k → PowerPC → Intel → ARM). Their strategy prioritized a seamless user and developer experience through powerful compatibility layers like Rosetta. Older applications just work, while developers are empowered to gradually adopt the new architecture.

The Hybrid Framework unequivocally follows the Apple model. Our goal is to provide a smooth, backward-compatible path forward, ensuring that the vast, vibrant Ethereum ecosystem can migrate at its own pace without disruption.

This execution path was proposed by the ipsilon team here, guided this PoC implementation, This PoC implementation camps at this stage "RISC-V Backend, EVM or RISC-V Front End".

Current Implementation Stage Hybrid currently operates at the "RISC-V Backend, EVM or RISC-V Front End" stage of the transition roadmap (2027-2029 timeline), representing a mature hybrid execution environment where:

Dual VM Support: Native execution of both EVM and RISC-V smart contracts within a unified blockchain node Seamless Interoperability: EVM and RISC-V contracts can call each other transparently through a sophisticated syscall interface Developer Choice: Developers can deploy either traditional EVM bytecode or modern RISC-V contracts based on their specific needs Performance Optimization: RISC-V contracts benefit from direct execution without EVM interpretation overhead

The Hybrid Framework

The Hybrid Framework realizes this vision by creating a unified execution environment where both RISC-V and EVM contracts are first-class citizens. We are not aiming for a future where the EVM is completely removed, but rather embracing the hybrid state as the destination. This provides ultimate flexibility and stability for the ecosystem.

This framework is composed of two primary components:

  1. Hybrid Node: A high-performance Ethereum node (based on Reth) that can natively execute smart contracts compiled to RISC-V. For legacy contracts, it seamlessly runs EVM bytecode using a built-in EVM interpreter, ensuring 100% backward compatibility.
  2. Cargo Hybrid: A comprehensive developer toolchain integrated with Rust's Cargo ecosystem. It provides a simple, powerful workflow to write, compile, test, and deploy RISC-V smart contracts directly to the blockchain.

With Hybrid, developers can write high-performance contracts in modern languages like Rust, leveraging its safety features and rich ecosystem, while existing Solidity, Vyper, and Yul projects continue to function without any changes. The two worlds are fully interoperable, allowing RISC-V and EVM contracts to call each other and share state as if they were on the same native platform.

Key Features

  • Unified Execution Environment: A single node that supports both EVM and RISC-V smart contracts, allowing them to coexist and interact seamlessly.
  • Modern Smart Contract Development: Write contracts in Rust, unlocking superior performance, memory safety, and access to a mature developer ecosystem.
  • Complete Backward Compatibility: All existing EVM-based smart contracts and tools work out-of-the-box. No migration is necessary for existing projects.
  • Powerful Developer Toolchain: cargo-hybrid provides a familiar, end-to-end workflow (new, build, deploy) for developers entering the RISC-V smart contract world.
  • Future-Proof Architecture: By adopting a standardized and open ISA, the framework positions Ethereum to benefit from decades of hardware and software advancements in the RISC-V ecosystem.