In 2025, the Web3 field will usher in more technological breakthroughs and innovative applications. From the vigorous development of expansion technology to the "ChatGPT moment" of privacy protection, the blockchain ecosystem is gradually improving and expanding. Based on Equilibrium's annual forecast report, this article sorts out the key trends of Web3 in the coming year and provides a panoramic view from expansion to privacy.

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1. Rapid Development of Capacity Expansion Technology

1. The number of Ethereum scaling solutions will exceed 2,000

The number of Ethereum expansion solutions (L2/L3) is expected to exceed 2,000 by the end of 2025, an increase of about 17 times. This explosive growth comes from two directions:

  • Application-specific scaling solutions: such as dedicated solutions for games, DeFi, payments, social networking and other fields.

  • Enterprise-level expansion solutions: blockchain expansion technologies launched by traditional companies (such as Coinbase and Kraken).

2. Ethereum’s expansion rate has exceeded 200 times

The Ethereum scaling factor is the ratio of throughput improvement of L2/L3 solutions compared to Ethereum L1. The current scaling factor is 25 times, and it will exceed 200 times by 2025. This not only reflects user demand, but also verifies the success of Ethereum's modular scaling roadmap.

3. Solana transaction processing capacity exceeds 5000 TPS

The Solana network’s non-voting transaction processing capacity is expected to reach an average of 5,000 TPS by 2025. Key drivers include:

  • Firedancer client is launched: improving performance through more efficient concurrent transactions.

  • Anza client optimization: Performance improvements were made by drawing on the design of Firedancer.

  • Other performance optimizations: such as fee market adjustments, scheduling optimization, block size increase, etc.

4. More than 80% of L2/L3 data will be published to the alternative DA layer

By 2025, most L2/L3 data will no longer be published directly to Ethereum, but will be transferred to alternative data availability (DA) layers such as Celestia, Avail, etc. The proportion of alternative DA layers is expected to increase from the current 35% to 80%, promoting the further development of the expansion ecosystem.

5. ZK-based scalability solutions surpass the Optimistic solution

As zero-knowledge proof (ZK) technology becomes faster and cheaper, ZK scaling solutions will dominate. By the end of 2025, the number of ZK-based solution deployments is expected to exceed 50%, driving greater interoperability and security.

2. New Breakthroughs in Privacy Protection Technology

6. Privacy technology has its “ChatGPT moment”

The value of privacy protection will be widely recognized, driving the expansion of blockchain applications from basic protection to new application scenarios. For example, enterprises can use privacy technology to protect sensitive data, and individual users will collaborate more efficiently in an anonymous environment.

7. Decentralized VPN users grow to 10% of TOR

Nym's decentralized VPN network is expected to reach 200,000-300,000 users, accounting for 10% of the TOR network's users. Its strong privacy features and decentralized architecture will attract more users, especially in an environment where privacy needs are growing.

8. At least one major Rollup integrates privacy computing

For the first time, the Rollup ecosystem will integrate privacy computing technologies (such as multi-party computing, fully homomorphic encryption, or trusted execution environments) in a production environment, allowing users to enjoy privacy protection without having to redeploy to a privacy-first network.

9. More than 90% of ZK proofs will be generated in a decentralized manner

Decentralized proof networks such as Gevulot will become mainstream, generating more than 90% of ZK proofs by the end of 2025. This approach improves censorship resistance, reduces costs, and simplifies operations.

10. At least three startups are pushing for indistinguishable obfuscation (IO)

As a cutting-edge privacy technology, indistinguishable obfuscation (IO) will attract more investment. At least three startups are expected to promote its development and accelerate the practical application of this breakthrough technology.

3. Improved User Experience and Interoperability

11. More than 25% of transactions are generated through chain abstraction

Chain abstraction improves user experience by shielding the complexity of the underlying chain. It is expected that by 2025, at least 25% of on-chain transactions will be generated through chain abstraction, and users do not need to understand the operation of the underlying chain.

12. Solana applications make the Rollup experience seamless

At least one Solana application will run on the Rollup scaling solution, but the user experience will be like L1 layer operation, demonstrating a higher user experience standard.

13. Native interoperability goes mainstream

There will be a significant increase in new Rollup deployments based on the ZK technology stack, providing users with a single-chain-like experience. This will push application developers to focus on user experience and business innovation rather than underlying technical complexity.

4. Web3 Infrastructure and Consensus Technology

14. Ethereum Gas Limit Doubled

Ethereum’s maximum Gas limit will be increased from 30m Gas per block to 60m Gas, further alleviating block space tensions and providing stronger support for high-value applications.

15. The rise of DAG-based consensus

At least one existing network will switch to a consensus mechanism based on directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) in 2025. This consensus mechanism reduces communication overhead, improves blockchain efficiency, and provides a new direction for the next generation of blockchains.

16. ZK Proof Technology Accelerates Development

ZK technology will further optimize the cost and time of proof, making more use cases possible. For example, the general zkVM will complete the proof of Ethereum blocks within 30 seconds.

Conclusion: Towards a new era of Web3

In 2025, the technical ecology of Web3 will be more complete, and breakthroughs in expansion, privacy, user experience and infrastructure will further promote the popularization of blockchain. Although challenges still exist, such as the complexity of privacy technology and the coordination of the multi-chain world, the rapid iteration and exploration spirit of the industry have brought unlimited possibilities for the future.

Web3 is not just a collection of technologies, but a new attempt at a new way of operating society. On this road, we are moving from infrastructure optimization to comprehensive user empowerment. The future will belong to those builders who can combine technological innovation with actual needs.