On January 21, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed a "native DVT (Distributed Validator Technology)" solution on the Ethereum Research forum, suggesting that DVT be directly written into the Ethereum staking protocol layer to improve network security while promoting decentralization at the validator level.
According to the proposal, validators can register multiple independent keys and operate together as "group validators." A block proposal or witness will only be considered valid after a set threshold of key signatures has been reached. This mechanism can significantly reduce the risk of validators going offline due to single points of failure or node compromise, while maintaining existing slashing protection under reasonable threshold settings.
Vitalik pointed out that, unlike current DVT solutions that rely on external coordination layers and involve complex deployments, native DVT will be directly embedded into the protocol itself. Validators holding multiple times the minimum staking threshold (32 ETH) can set up to 16 keys and specify signature thresholds, which is equivalent to multiple standard nodes jointly forming a validator identity.
He stated that the design incurs minimal performance overhead, adding only one extra delay to block production, without affecting witness latency, and is compatible with any signature scheme, helping to reduce reliance on cryptographic assumptions that may pose long-term risks.
At the decentralization level, Vitalik believes that native DVT will make it easier for individuals and institutions to participate in staking directly in a "self-custodial, fault-tolerant" manner, rather than relying on large staking service providers, thereby improving the decentralization metrics of the Ethereum validator set (such as the Nakamoto coefficient). This proposal is still in the early stages of discussion and will require extensive evaluation and consensus from the Ethereum community.
