A look at how sharded Ethereum with ZK-rollups becomes an unstoppable pragmatic force. The scalability trilemma is present in all blockchain networks. The harder an L1 network pushes scalability, the higher the minimum hardware requirements will be to run a full node. Networks become more centralized when full nodes are not easily accessible. It is clear Ethereum has long prioritized security and decentralization over scalability at the base layer. With the pivot to a rollup centric roadmap, Ethereum is leveraging its base layer (specifically, its vast network of full nodes) to offer robust data availability in place of L1 scalability while maintaining security and decentralization. The scalability trilemma, illustrated. Credits: Vitalik Buterin The intention of this pivot is that the majority of the execution on the Ethereum network we're used to today (DeFi, NFTs, etc.) will move to rollups instead of occurring on mainnet. While it is against the ethos of this industry for an L1 to focus on speed and security over decentralization, the same trilemma does not apply to rollups. They inherit security from mainnet Ethereum. With the hard parts handled by Ethereum, rollups are able to focus on being the best execution layer possible. You've probably heard of Optimism and Arbitrum by now, both of which are optimistic rollups. Just on the horizon is another kind of rollup—ZK-rollups. There are a few instances of ZK-rollups live already, but none of them offer general computation EVM compatibility, or zkEVM. This will not be the case for long, as zkSync 2.0, Scroll, StarkNet, and others are on the case and progressing rapidly.