Native EVM Contracts on Polkadot
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Husni - 12 May, 2025
Overview
- Execute EVM contracts natively on Substrate-based chains
- Uses
pallet-revivein Substrate runtime - Supports Ethereum-like transactions and state transitions
- Benefits: Lower gas fees, faster transactions, interoperability with Substrate
What is PolkaVM?
PolkaVM is a cutting-edge virtual machine tailored to optimize smart contract execution on Polkadot.
Unlike traditional Ethereum Virtual Machines (EVM), PolkaVM is built with a RISC-V-based register architecture and a 64-bit word size.
Why RISC-V?
- Open Standard: allows for greater customization and innovation in VM design.
- Versatile: easy to transpile into common hardware formats such as x86, x64, and ARM.
- Simplicity and efficiency: simple and clean ISA leads to more efficient and easier optimization of smart contracts.
- 100x efficiency gains for ZK-EVM, see Vitalik proposal here.
PolkaVM vs EVM (Part 1)
| Feature | PolkaVM | EVM |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RISC-V-based register | Stack-based |
| Word Size | 64-bit | 256-bit |
| Optimization | Tailored for smart contract execution on Polkadot | General-purpose for Ethereum |
| Arithmetic Operations | Faster due to register architecture | Slower due to stack operations |
| Architecture | RISC-V-based register | Stack-based |
| Word Size | 64-bit | 256-bit |
PolkaVM vs EVM (Part 2)
| Feature | PolkaVM | EVM |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware Translation | More efficient | Less efficient |
| Language Integration | Seamless with C and Rust | Primarily Solidity |
| Scalability | Improved for modern blockchain applications | Limited by design |
| Ecosystem | Newer, growing | Well-established |
PolkaVM vs EVM (Part 3)
| Feature | PolkaVM | EVM |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Efficiency | Potentially more efficient with precise metering | Less efficient for complex operations |
| Memory Management | More flexible with 64-bit addressing | Limited by 256-bit word size |
PolkaVM - Key Benefits
- Faster arithmetic operations and efficient hardware translation
- Seamless integration of high-performance languages like C and Rust for advanced optimization
- Improved scalability for modern blockchain applications
Key Components
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pallet_revive: Runtime module executing smart contracts, converting Ethereum transactions for blockchain compatibility
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PolkaVM: Custom RISC-V-based VM optimized for performance, supporting Solidity and high-performance languages
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Revive: Compiler translating Solidity to RISC-V for PolkaVM, ensuring full Solidity compatibility
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Revive Remix: Modified Remix IDE with LLVM-based Revive backend for efficient Solidity contract deployment on Polkadot
Key Considerations
- Gas Pricing: Custom or Ethereum model
- Account Management: Handle both Substrate and Ethereum accounts
- Storage: Manage EVM state in Substrate storage
- Performance: Balance EVM execution and chain performance
Development Tools
- Remix: Web-based Solidity IDE
- Hardhat: Development environment for Ethereum
- Truffle: Testing framework for Ethereum
- Web3.js: JavaScript library for Ethereum interaction
- Ethers.js: Alternative JavaScript library for Ethereum
DOOM Demo!
https://youtu.be/hJcw5FMSjQs?si=WSOk0prFh6hVo9oH
Key Takeaway
You can run normal software compiled from normal programming languages (Rust, C, C++, etc) using normal abstractions on Polkadot soon.