Analyst Predicts $10k ETH Price as Vitalik Buterin Launches Major Upgrade for Faster Proofs Systems

An analyst has projected that the ETH price could hit $10,000 in this bull cycle. This comes as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin unveiled an upgrade designed to enable fast cryptographic proofs in its ecosystem.

Ethereum Gets Utility Boost as Vitalik Buterin Unveils New Upgrade

In his latest technical paper, Vitalik Buterin introduced the GKR protocol. This is a verification system designed to accelerate zero-knowledge computations while reducing blockchain congestion. 

Unlike its traditional ZK-SNARKs or STARKs, which relied on intermediate commitments, GKR verifies large-scale computations in logarithmic time with minimal on-chain burden. This means faster transaction confirmations. This would lower costs for developers working on proof-intensive applications.

Vitalik Buterin emphasized that GKR’s architecture allows provers to skip intermediate commitments. This update lowers petrol expenses and computational load. Although GKR is not by default zero-knowledge, it is simple to incorporate into ZK-SNARK or STARK layers to guarantee confidentiality and conciseness.

The Ethereum co-founder credited researchers Lev Soukhanov, Zhenfei Zhang, and Zachary Williamson for their contributions to the protocol’s development. He called it a “natural fit for proving large batches of hashes and neural network computations.”

The introduction of GKR comes just weeks ahead of Ethereum’s Fusaka upgrade, expected to roll out in November. This major network update focuses on improving scalability and efficiency. Developers are already testing Devnet-3, which includes 11 ETH Improvement Proposals (EIPs). 

According to reports, Fusaka will go live on the Hoodi testnet in late October before the full mainnet launch.  This development aligns with Buterin’s long-term vision for a “Lean Ethereum,” a simplified, modular, and quantum-resistant network. 

Analyst Eye $10,000 ETH Price Target Amid Growing Optimism

In a recent X post, Alejandro₿TC similarly predicted that ETH might first revisit lower levels before staging a “monster run” toward $10,000.

This follows bullish projections from Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX. He restated his confidence that Ethereum could surge to $10,000 before the end of the current cycle. Hayes described recent price swings as “background noise” within a sustained uptrend.

Investor sentiment around the token has also improved notably following these announcements. The ETH price climbed 4.78% in 24 hours, outperforming Bitcoin’s 3.7% rise. CoinMarketCap analysis identified a “W bottom” reversal pattern, suggesting momentum may continue building through October.

Institutional players have also been been making strategic moves. According to reports, BitMine made three significant acquisitions this week that increased its corporate treasury by 379,271 ETH, or almost $1.5 billion. Tom Lee also argued that Ethereum’s fundamentals hold up well in spite of recent volatility.