Ethereum is set to undergo significant execution layer changes, focusing on state tree and virtual machine (VM) upgrades. The proposed state tree change involves transitioning from the current hexary keccak MPT to a binary tree structure, which promises to enhance efficiency by shortening Merkle branches by four times. This shift is expected to improve client-side branch verification and reduce data bandwidth costs for applications like Helios and PIR. Additionally, the new binary tree design will facilitate cheaper access to adjacent storage slots, potentially saving over 10,000 gas per transaction for many decentralized applications. On the VM front, Ethereum is considering a transition from the current EVM to a more efficient RISC-V based VM. This change aims to simplify the protocol, enhance execution efficiency, and improve prover-friendliness for zero-knowledge applications. The proposed roadmap includes deploying the new VM for precompiles, allowing users to deploy NewVM contracts, and eventually retiring the EVM in favor of a smart contract written in NewVM. These upgrades are expected to address major bottlenecks in proving efficiency and support various client-side proving use cases.