Family, who understands! The Ethereum Foundation has made a big move! From 2024 to 2025, a total of over $2.6 million in grants will be issued, covering more than 30 projects, from academic research to core technology development. This operation is not just throwing money around; every penny precisely targets the key points of Ethereum's decentralization! Today, let's dive into this grant list and see what surprises Ethereum's decentralized future holds.
Let's highlight the key points! The $2.6 million grant is divided into three major areas, each crucial for decentralization.
The Ethereum Foundation's grant this time is not just a random allocation but precisely targets three core areas: the ESP ecosystem support program (focusing on core clients), 2024 academic grants (strengthening theoretical foundations), and 2024 ZK grants (betting on zero-knowledge proofs). The total amount directly reaches $2.68 million, with academic grants over $1.78 million and ZK-specific grants of $900,000, with every penny spent wisely!
Battlefield 1: ESP Ecosystem Support - Building a 'Solid Foundation' for Decentralization
Clients are the 'heart' of Ethereum; the more diverse the clients, the more stable the decentralization! The foundation directly funded the three core clients to continue their existence; this operation is crucial.
Lodestar (TypeScript consensus client): Continuous maintenance and upgrades aim to allow TypeScript developers to easily participate in node operations, breaking down technical barriers;
Lighthouse (consensus client): Specializing in PeerDAS technology, simply put, it enables data scaling without relying on centralized servers, achieving decentralized scaling on both fronts;
Erigon (execution client): Optimizing resource usage, allowing ordinary users to run full nodes without relying on large institutions, truly achieving 'everyone can participate'.
What's even better is that it also funded the formal verification of the c-kzg library, which is the key technology for EIP-4844 scaling, directly eliminating 'centralized trust vulnerabilities'. No matter how aggressive the scaling, the original intent of decentralization remains intact!
Battlefield 2: 2024 Academic Funding - Equipping Decentralization with a 'Solid Framework'
If ESP is about building 'muscle', academic funding is about building 'internal strength'! 1.78 million USD allocated to top universities and researchers worldwide, with 19 projects targeting the core pain points of decentralization:
Censorship resistance maxed out: Duke University developed the 'multiplicity gadgets' technology, which aims to double the cost of censorship. Anyone wanting to block transactions will have to think twice;
Incentive security locked down: Tsinghua University did a great job! Developed a consensus incentive vulnerability penetration testing framework, making it impossible for validators to act maliciously in the future, enhancing the stability of decentralized operations;
P2P network attack resistance: Northeastern University and Beihang University are working together, one focusing on protocol correctness analysis and the other on time series fuzz testing, blocking witch attacks and eclipse attacks at the gate, making the network more robust against attacks;
Breaking the liquidity staking dilemma: specifically researching the 'delegated agency problem' in liquidity staking, which aims to prevent LST giants from monopolizing and avoid the concentration of staking that could undermine decentralization!
From Stanford's SMT solver acceleration to Pisa University's cross-block retrieval, from MIT's forfeiture mechanism research to KTH's client diversity scheme, global wisdom is endorsing Ethereum's decentralization!
Battlefield 3: 2024 ZK Funding - Equipping Decentralization with a 'New Engine'
Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZK) are the trump card for decentralized privacy and scaling! The foundation allocated 900,000 USD to 25 ZK projects, each one a game-changer:
PCD technology breakthrough: A verifiable data scheme based on GKR, making decentralized verification more efficient;
ZK toolchain upgrade: Zippel compiler directly lowers the development threshold for ZK, allowing ordinary people to work on ZK applications without relying on top technical teams;
Maximizing security: Integrating Halo2 circuit constraints into Lean verification, completely eliminating the ZK 'trust black box', making decentralization even safer!
Key point! How does this wave of funding rewrite the landscape of Ethereum's decentralization?
Some may ask: What is the use of throwing money at so many projects for decentralization? Hold on, these five major changes directly overturn perceptions:
1. Client diversity breakthrough, bidding farewell to 'single point of failure'
Previously, everyone was worried that 'if a certain client has a problem, the entire network will collapse'. Now, the foundation is funding mature clients like Lodestar and Lighthouse, as well as supporting KTH and other institutions to research client diversity mechanisms. In the future, even if a certain client fails, other clients can still hold up, directly doubling the fault tolerance of decentralization!
2. Consensus layer robustness upgrade, no fear of censorship or attacks
Duke University's anti-censorship technology + Tsinghua University's incentive vulnerability testing + MIT's forfeiture mechanism research form a 'censorship resistance + evil prevention + strong accountability' iron triangle. In the future, the cost of transaction censorship will skyrocket, and validators who act maliciously will be penalized severely, making the consensus rules of decentralization more robust!
3. P2P network 'iron wall', no longer relying on centralized relays
Northeastern University's protocol analysis + Primev's efficient design + Beihang University's fuzz testing ensure that Ethereum's P2P network can transmit quickly and resist attacks. Previously, there was concern that small nodes would be slow and rely on centralized relays; now, we can directly achieve 'decentralized acceleration', allowing ordinary nodes to participate efficiently!
4. Scaling does not compromise decentralization, ZK + formal verification as double insurance
EIP-4844 scaling is most afraid of 'introducing centralized risks'. The foundation directly funds formal verification of the c-kzg library, and with breakthroughs in ZK technology, scaling can be achieved while ensuring 'trustlessness'. Even if Ethereum rises to 100,000 TPS in the future, the foundation of decentralization remains as solid as ever!
5. Breaking the centralization trap, liquidity staking can also be decentralized
Now everyone is worried about LST giants monopolizing the staking market. The foundation is directly funding research on liquidity staking governance to limit the aggregation of the top players. Even in liquidity staking, decentralization can be maintained and dispersed, no longer afraid of 'one entity dominating' the network!
Controversies and prospects: Is this wave of actions really perfect?
Of course, the community is also concerned: With so much money distributed by the foundation, will it lead to 'centralized funding allocation'? After all, if a few people determine the funding direction for a long time, it may subtly influence the research and development route. However, from the current perspective, the foundation's transparency is high, with funded projects covering universities, enterprises, and independent researchers, ensuring diversity in the review process.
Everyone can focus on these indicators to assess the progress of decentralization: Is the client share more balanced? Are censorship events decreasing? Is it easier for ordinary nodes to operate? Is the share of LST giants diluted? These data are the hard standards to test decentralization!
Final summary: Is Ethereum's decentralized future secure?
This wave of 2.6 million funding is not just blindly throwing money around, but rather building a 'client + consensus + network + scaling + governance' all-dimensional decentralized protection network. From enabling ordinary people to run nodes, to preventing censorship and attacks, to breaking the traps of centralization, every step precisely addresses the core needs of decentralization.
As long as these projects can be successfully implemented, Ethereum's decentralization will only become more solid - without sacrificing performance for decentralization, and without relying on centralized intermediaries for security. No wonder the community says: This wave of funding has paved the way for Ethereum's decentralized future! How do you rate this operation? Let's discuss in the comments!
