The seventh annual Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC[7]), held in Brussels, Belgium, this year, highlighted significant shifts in Ethereum’s development strategy. The conference, relocated from Paris to avoid clashing with the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, focused on Ethereum’s transition towards a rollup-centric roadmap, according to Galaxy Research.

Unpacking the Impacts of a Rollup-Centric Future

Christine Kim of Galaxy Research shared key insights from EthCC[7]. A rollup-centric roadmap implies that future protocol changes to Ethereum will become less significant to end-users. As Ethereum protocol developers prioritize data availability (DA) optimizations, users will increasingly interact with rollups for transactions and decentralized applications (dapps). Consequently, the responsibility for enhancing user experience will shift to rollup development teams.

The focus on DA means that technologies to improve Ethereum’s user experience will primarily be developed by rollup teams. Innovations such as maximal extractable value (MEV), trusted execution environments (TEEs), account abstraction, and preconfirmations are gaining relevance in the rollup ecosystem. Notably, prominent Ethereum core developers and client teams, including Ben Edgington and Prysmatic Labs, have transitioned to working full-time on rollup projects.

The Waning Importance of Ethereum Upgrades

With Ethereum’s shift towards a rollup-centric model, protocol upgrades are expected to diminish in importance. Aya Miyaguchi, Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, articulated this vision by emphasizing the need to decentralize and minimize the foundation’s role. This approach aims to foster a more resilient and decentralized ecosystem.

EthCC[7] featured numerous side events that showcased new ideas, experimental technologies, and crucial discussions relevant to Ethereum users. The conference underscored that while Ethereum protocol developers continue to propose significant code changes, the future of finance and blockchain innovation is increasingly being built out-of-protocol, particularly within the rollup ecosystem.

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