Vitalik Buterin has highlighted two primary directions for upgrading Ethereum's execution layer: state tree restructuring and virtual machine adjustments. The aim is to address the main bottleneck of proof efficiency. The proposed EIP-7864 suggests replacing the current hexary Merkle Patricia Tree with a binary tree structure using more efficient hash functions. This change is expected to shorten Merkle branches, reduce bandwidth and proof costs, and optimize storage access structures. In the long term, Buterin advocates for gradually replacing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) with a more proof-friendly virtual machine, such as RISC-V, to enhance execution and zero-knowledge proof efficiency. The transition path may involve initial use in precompilation, followed by contract deployment, and eventually running the EVM as a compatibility layer, maintaining backward compatibility with only gas cost adjustments.