The Ethereum Foundation has launched a technical challenge on evm.fast seeking to demonstrate a finite limit on the number of steps required to verify an Ethereum block on a 64-bit RISC-V model. The score K represents this certified upper bound and includes startup steps; the current best score is infinity because no uniform limit has yet been demonstrated. Participants must provide a machine-checked proof using Flapjack, a Lean 4 adaptation of the Pancake compiler. The effort forms part of the Foundation’s 2025-2026 objectives, including provable security, recursion soundness and predictable zero-knowledge proving costs. A certified bound would allow provers to plan resources and reduce the risk of denial-of-service attacks involving unexpectedly expensive blocks.
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