From Fragmentation to Specialization: The Future of L2 and Ethereum Native Rollup

Vitalik Buterin recently shared deep reflections on Ethereum’s scalability roadmap, which is not about “rejecting L2” but proposing a new paradigm: shifting from primitive, unlimited expansion toward specialized, measured layers integrated with L1. This view has sparked intense debate within the community, but a serious evaluation reveals that Vitalik emphasizes the need to transform L2 from mere “generic scalability solutions” into layers with clear specialization and differentiation.

Turning Point: Why Unlimited Expansion Is No Longer Relevant

Five years ago, Ethereum adopted a Rollup-Centric philosophy: L1 handles security, while L2 pursues extreme expansion at minimal cost. This strategy worked when gas fees soared into the tens of dollars. But reality has changed dramatically.

According to the latest data from L2BEAT, the number of L2s has reached hundreds, but this growth has introduced unforeseen structural issues. First, most L2s are still in early decentralization phases. Since 2022, Vitalik has criticized the “Training Wheels” architecture of most rollups—systems relying on centralized operations and human intervention to ensure security.

L2BEAT categorizes rollup decentralization into three stages: Stage 0 (fully centralized control), Stage 1 (limited control), and Stage 2 (fully decentralized). Many L2s may remain “stuck” at Stage 1 due to regulatory or business needs—relying on security councils to control upgrades. Essentially, such L2s are still “secondary L1s” with cross-chain bridge attributes, not the true decentralized solutions envisioned.

Second, exponential growth of L2s has created significant liquidity fragmentation. Liquidity once concentrated on Ethereum is now split into disconnected value islands, reducing overall market efficiency. The more chains and L2s emerge, the deeper this fragmentation becomes.

This is why Vitalik emphasizes that L2 focus should shift from the number of chains to deeper consolidation and specialization—a “correction” to the over-expansion trend.

L2 Specialization: From Generic to Differentiated

In the new paradigm, L1 returns to its original role as the most secure settlement layer, while L2s pursue specialization: providing unique functions and tailored experiences that the mainnet cannot offer.

Concrete examples include:

• Privacy-focused Virtual Machines: L2 designed for applications requiring transaction-level privacy, leveraging Zero-Knowledge technology.
• Extreme expansion for case-specific needs: L2 optimized for maximum throughput in specific contexts, such as derivatives trading or gaming.
• Dedicated environments for AI agents: L2 built as infrastructure for AI applications and other non-financial uses.

Wang Xiaowei, Co-Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, confirmed this view at Consensus 2026: L1 should host the most critical activities, while L2s focus on delivering extreme user experiences and vertical specialization.

Native Rollup and Pre-Confirmation: Bridges to Composability and Synchronization

In this moment of reflection, the concept of “Based Rollup” begins to shine, especially with proposals for hybrid architectures combining Based Rollup with pre-confirmation mechanisms.

The key difference between Based Rollup and traditional L2s like Arbitrum and Optimism is that it completely abandons independent sequencer layers. Instead, transaction ordering is done directly by Ethereum L1 nodes. The result is an experience that feels “seamless”: users can directly call L1 liquidity within the same transaction, enabling cross-layer atomization.

However, real challenges arise here. If Based Rollup follows L1’s pace (12 seconds per slot), finality still takes about 13 minutes—too slow for financial applications. This is where pre-confirmation plays a role.

Pre-confirmation works through layered mechanisms. When a transaction is submitted to L1, certain roles (like the L1 proposer) commit to including it. Through attester votes in each Ethereum PoS slot, transactions that gather widespread validator support are considered “highly unlikely to be canceled” even before full finality.

This is the core of Project #4: Fast L1 Confirmation Rules in the Ethereum Interoperability roadmap. Its goal: deliver strong, verifiable confirmation signals within 15–30 seconds, without waiting 13 minutes for finality. With this mechanism, cross-chain apps, Resolvers, and wallets can proceed with their logic securely based on clear protocol confirmation signals, creating a very smooth interoperability experience.

The Path Toward Three Pillars of Ethereum Specialization

Looking ahead to 2026, Ethereum is undergoing a transformation: from “extreme expansion” to “unity, stratification, and endogenous security.” Several L2 solution executives have expressed readiness to adopt Native Rollup, signaling a painful but necessary ecosystem simplification process.

As L1 continues to strengthen and Based Rollup plus pre-confirmation become realities, focus will shift to three more meaningful pillars of specialization:

Account Abstraction and Lowering Entry Barriers: Ethereum is pushing for native Account Abstraction, where smart contract wallets become standard, replacing complex recovery phrases. Entry into crypto will be as easy as signing up for a social account.

Privacy and ZK-EVM: Privacy features are no longer fringe needs. As ZK-EVM technology matures, Ethereum will offer on-chain privacy protections for commercial applications while maintaining transparency—becoming a competitive advantage among public chains.

On-Chain Sovereignty for AI Agents: By 2026, transaction initiators may be AI agents rather than humans. The challenge is to establish trustless interaction standards: ensuring AI agents act according to user intent, not third-party control. Ethereum L1 as a decentralized settlement layer will be the most reliable arbiter in the AI economy.

Conclusion: From Illusions of Fragmentation to Realized Specialization

Vitalik does not oppose L2; he opposes narratives of excessive fragmentation and disconnection from the main network. Moving away from the illusion of “independent brand fragments,” Ethereum is progressing toward specialization built upon Based Rollup, pre-confirmation, and tight L1 integration.

This transformation fundamentally strengthens Ethereum L1’s position as a global trust foundation. But it also means that only innovations rooted in Ethereum’s core principles—those breathing with the main network and offering true specialization—will survive and thrive in the next era of exploration.