Ethereum researchers demo 'native rollups' prototype that could simplify Layer 2 verification

Researchers working on the Ethereum ecosystem have presented an early proof-of-concept for “native rollups,” a proposed scaling design that would allow Layer 2 networks to inherit Ethereum’s security model directly by re-executing their transactions on the base chain.

The demonstration implements EIP-8079 using the Ethrex execution client and introduces a new mechanism known as the EXECUTE precompile.

Instead of verifying Layer 2 activity through zero-knowledge circuits or fraud proofs, the approach simply replays Layer 2 blocks on Ethereum itself, allowing the base layer to confirm their validity. The proof-of-concept includes contracts that track rollup state, bridge messages between layers, and verify withdrawal claims using Merkle Patricia proofs.

While the Ethrex demonstration offers a glimpse into how Ethereum’s scaling model could change if developers ultimately decide to move some verification logic back into the base layer, native rollups remain at an exploratory stage. It’s important to note that the current implementation is explicitly a proof-of-concept rather than production infrastructure.

Native rollup PoC demo

The team behind the experiment — including developers working on Ethrex alongside contributors from the Ethereum Foundation and researchers at L2BEAT — published code and documentation showing a full working environment, according to a Tuesday post. The prototype demonstrates the full life cycle of a rollup chain operating under this model.

Layer 2 blocks are submitted to Ethereum and executed through the new precompile. Deposits can move assets from the base chain to the rollup, contracts can interact across layers, and withdrawals back to Ethereum are verified through state proofs, per details shared by the Ethrex client team.

In practice, native rollups attempt to remove an entire layer of complexity that has become standard in Ethereum’s scaling ecosystem. Most existing rollups depend on specialized proof systems — either fraud proofs used by optimistic rollups or cryptographic validity proofs used by zero-knowledge rollups — to convince Ethereum that their transaction batches are correct.

The native rollup proposal instead exposes Ethereum’s own state transition function through the EXECUTE precompile, allowing Ethereum to recompute the rollup’s state changes itself. In theory, this means rollups could inherit upgrades and security properties directly from Ethereum without maintaining independent verification systems.

Developers say that design could simplify long-term maintenance of Layer 2 networks. Because verification relies on Ethereum’s execution environment, any improvements or upgrades to the base protocol would automatically apply to native rollups.

The experiment arrives as Ethereum researchers reassess how the network should evolve its scaling architecture.

In recent discussions, Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin suggested that while Ethereum’s rollup-centric roadmap remains intact, some aspects of the Layer 2 ecosystem have decentralized more slowly than expected. He also encouraged developers to pursue broader experimentation in Ethereum’s application layer while maintaining the protocol’s core principles.