Vitalik Buterin Predicts Hegota as Ethereum's Final Conventional Fork

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has expressed that the Hegota upgrade, scheduled for 2027, is likely to be the last conventional fork for the Ethereum network. In a recent essay, Buterin emphasized that subsequent developments will focus on advanced cryptography and quantum-safe designs.

According to Buterin, the Hegota upgrade will feature elements recognizable to developers from 2015, marking a significant transition in Ethereum’s upgrade strategy. He highlighted the importance of recursive STARKs and quantum-resistant cryptography, which will be central to Ethereum's future enhancements.

The Hegota upgrade is still in the early planning stages, with two main changes outlined: Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) and frame transactions. FOCIL will allow a committee of validators to propose transaction lists that builders must adhere to, while frame transactions will enable accounts to run their own verification logic and utilize quantum-resistant signatures.

Buterin's broader vision for Ethereum includes a shift in its identity as it evolves beyond traditional blockchain properties. He anticipates that by 2030, Ethereum will utilize Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS) for verification, significantly improving transaction speeds and finality times compared to the network's performance in 2015.

Before the Hegota upgrade, Ethereum is set to implement the Glamsterdam upgrade, with its testnet fork scheduled for October 6, 2026. The mainnet launch for Glamsterdam is expected in Q4 2026, although a specific date has not yet been confirmed.