
Exploring the need for altVMs and a look at every altVM we can think of
A special thanks to Nairolf, Shayan (Movement), Zon and Sawit (Initia), Rahul (SOON), Jim (Catalyst), Leland (Succinct), Arjun (LiFi), Nipun (Supra), Andy (The Rollupco), and Luke (Mitosis) for their feedback and review.
The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) has been a key innovation in the blockchain ecosystem, enabling the development of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). While it has powered Ethereum and many of the largest projects in crypto today, the EVM faces limitations around scalability and flexibility due to its design.
These challenges have given rise to alternative VMs, or altVMs. AltVMs encompass any non-EVM execution environment. This article explores the altVM landscape and the key players involved, examining their different approaches to solving blockchain scalability.
Before diving deeper, it’s important to understand what VMs are and why they’re so important for blockchains in the first place.
A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based environment that emulates a physical computer, enabling programs to run consistently across different hardware and operating systems. By abstracting the underlying infrastructure, VMs create a controlled, standardized execution layer where applications function as if they’re operating on the same system.
In simpler terms, VMs ensure that the same code yields identical results, regardless of the host system. This makes them invaluable for environments requiring consistent and repeatable execution, such as cloud computing and, critically, blockchains.

In the context of blockchains, VMs act as the execution engine for processing and executing transactions. When someone wants to transfer tokens or interact with a smart contract, the VM handles these operations according to specific rules. They are responsible for:
For example, when a user interacts with a DeFi application or transfers tokens, the blockchain VM executes the required logic and updates the state of the network accordingly.
For an in-depth explanation on VMs, read more here
The EVM has been instrumental in shaping the blockchain landscape, providing a standardized and reliable execution environment for applications and smart contracts. From DeFi platforms to NFT marketplaces and beyond, the EVM has powered some of the most widely used protocols in crypto today, and boasts the largest and most active developer community around. Its extensive ecosystem and compatibility have cemented it as the go-to choice for many projects.
However, although the EVM remains the dominant execution environment today, this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement and experimentation. As developers continue to push the boundaries of what can be built onchain, many are experimenting with alternative approaches to address challenges inherent to the EVM’s design. Some of these key challenges include:
These technical challenges have led developers to create new virtual machines that work differently from the EVM. This is where altVMs come into the picture.
As the blockchain landscape grows, the need for more flexible and scalable execution environments becomes evident. Today, alternative virtual machines (altVMs) are typically defined as any non-EVM execution environment. This framing reflects the EVM’s dominance as the most widely adopted execution environment among chains and applications.
That said, it can be argued that altVMs actually predate Ethereum. Bitcoin’s scripting system introduced basic decentralized computation by enabling simple, predefined operations like validating transactions and unlocking funds. Its limited functionality eventually gave way to the EVM, which expanded programmability and established the standard for blockchain-based computation.
Modern altVMs have emerged as a direct response to the limitations of the EVM. By offering increased performance, broader programming language support, and tailored environments for specific workloads, altVMs unlock new possibilities for applications requiring high performance and precision, whether its gaming, high-frequency trading, on-chain AI, and beyond.
This evolution has been accelerated by modular blockchains like Celestia, which separate execution, consensus, and data availability to create a foundation for more specialized VMs. By enabling flexible experimentation and tailored design, modular blockchains have contributed to the growing diversity of the altVM landscape. Each altVM offers distinct solutions to challenges like scalability, security, and performance.
With this in mind, let’s explore the key players driving this transformation.
So what does the altVM landscape look like today?
The Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) is the core execution environment for Solana and now, a new emerging generation of L2s and app-chains. It compiles smart contracts (called Programs on Solana) into bytecode, allowing validators to process transactions efficiently.

Unlike Bitcoin and the EVM which process transactions sequentially, the SVM was designed from the ground-up to process and execute multiple transactions at once, or in parallel. Parallelization is a core feature of the SVM, making it well-suited for high-performance chains and the applications built on top of them. This functionality is enabled by Sealevel, Solana’s runtime environment. Sealevel predefines the accounts a transaction needs to interact with ahead of time, allowing multiple non-overlapping transactions to run at the same time.
The SVM was designed as a core component of Solana’s infrastructure, enabling the high throughput and low latency the L1 is known for. This performance has helped Solana become one of the largest activity hubs in crypto today, compelling developers to start exploring ways to adopt the SVM on their own.
A new class of L2s are emerging, utilizing the SVM for execution while maintaining the flexibility to settle on Solana or other blockchains, such as Ethereum. Some of the most notable developments include:
Beyond L2s, some teams are also building L1s around the SVM optimized for high performance. Fogo is a new SVM-based L1 which will run on the upcoming Firedancer client. Solana restaking protocol Solayer recently announced InfiniSVM, a hardware-accelerated SVM chain.
For a comprehensive overview of the SVM landscape, read more.
The MoveVM is a specialized execution environment built for the Move programming language. Move is a programming language from the team behind the former Libra project, designed to enhance the security, reliability, and efficiency of smart contract development. The key innovation with Move is its resource-oriented programming approach, in which digital assets are treated as unique entities, or resources, that cannot be easily duplicated or inadvertently destroyed.
MoveVM helps enforce Move’s unique resource model. It runs smart contracts written in Move by processing Move bytecode modules in a secure and isolated environment. It separates user data, which is treated as resources, from program code, designed to enhance security while running efficiently.
The VM uses a stack-based architecture to organize instructions and handle temporary data. Its strict execution paths help prevent bugs and security risks, such as re-entrancy attacks. Additionally, MoveVM ensures that smart contracts execute consistently across all blockchain nodes, supporting the network’s consensus mechanism.
Move has been adopted in two distinct flavors: Aptos Move and Sui Move, each with its own technical approach and design philosophy. Aptos Move builds on the original Move language, focusing on scalability and compatibility, while Sui Move introduces modifications like globally unique object IDs for optimized parallel processing.
The CosmWasm VM is the execution environment for CosmWasm, a smart contract platform for the Cosmos ecosystem. The CosmWasm VM simplifies smart contract development, enhances portability, and ensures consistent behavior regardless of the underlying blockchain. It offers enhanced smart contract performance through contract pinning, which stores frequently used contracts in an in-memory cache, significantly reducing waiting times and gas costs. This feature allows the CosmWasm VM to support high-performance applications on Cosmos chains.
The CosmWasm VM enables developers to build contracts, which are then compiled into WebAssembly (Wasm) bytecode to be executed. The VM acts as a mediator between the smart contract and the blockchain, ensuring that contracts can interact with the blockchain’s storage, manage accounts, and monitor resource usage (like gas), all while maintaining compatibility across various blockchain environments. Rust is the primary language for CosmWasm contracts, though other languages that compile to Wasm may also be used.
CosmWasm is home to many projects across the Cosmos ecosystem, enabling teams to build flexible and efficient smart contracts for a wide variety of use cases. A few examples of the many projects leveraging CosmWasm today include:
The Cairo Virtual Machine (CairoVM) is a specialized execution environment designed to support the Cairo programming language using zk-STARKs. Optimized for efficient computation and verification of cryptographic proofs, it processes programs written in the Cairo programming language, which breaks down complex computations into simpler steps that can be easily verified.
CairoVM operates on a unified memory model, designed for creating provable computations to support secure high-performance and scalability.

A Cairo program is compiled into Cairo bytecode, known as CASM. Cairo Zero compiles directly to CASM, while Cairo first compiles to an intermediate representation called Sierra before converting to a safe version of CASM. The CairoVM interprets this bytecode, executes the program and generates an execution trace. This trace is then used by the Cairo Prover to create a STARK proof, verifying the program’s correct execution. Generating this validity proof is Cairo’s main purpose.
The Open Network (TON) blockchain is a high-performance L1 originally developed by Telegram, optimizing for speed, scalability, and user accessibility. The TON Virtual Machine (TVM) is a specialized execution environment designed to run smart contracts on the TON chain. It operates as a stack-based virtual machine, utilizing a last-in, first-out (LIFO) structure to manage data during computation. This design ensures efficient execution of smart contracts by handling complex operations with reduced resource consumption.
The TVM executes smart contracts through a structured process. It begins by compiling smart contract code into bytecode, which is stored on-chain. When triggered by a message containing data or TON coins, TVM initializes a stack-based execution environment to process instructions sequentially. During execution, it manages computations, state changes, and gas consumption while enabling the contract to send messages and interact with other contracts. Finally, the blockchain state is updated, and execution logs are recorded to ensure transparency and traceability.
Fuel is an operating system purpose built to enhance Ethereum’s scalability by maximizing throughput, reducing latency, and optimizing application performance. The Fuel stack is made up of several key components including Fuel Ignite, a high performance L2, Sway, its own programming language, various developer tools for building in Sway, and at the heart of it all — the FuelVM. Inspired by prior blockchain VM designs including the EVM and SVM, the FuelVM is designed to deliver the performance of the SVM to an EVM-compatible environment.
The FuelVM uses a register-based design with 64-bit words, contrasting with EVM’s stack-based approach. This architecture reduces instruction count for operations, leading to better performance and lower gas costs. The VM also implements a UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output) model, allowing transactions to be processed in parallel without conflicts. This approach significantly improves throughput and reduces latency, scaling effectively with modern hardware.
The FuelVM introduces several key innovations for efficient blockchain applications. It offers state-minimized application development, such as native assets and ephemeral scripting, addressing common inefficiencies in stateful designs. Additionally, the FuelVM supports parallelized transaction execution, improving throughput and reducing latency.
Stylus is built for the Arbitrum ecosystem, including Arbitrum One, Arbitrum Nova, and Arbitrum Orbit chains. It introduces a second virtual machine alongside the EVM in the Arbitrum Nitro tech stack, creating what’s known as a MultiVM system, where both VMs run together and can interact seamlessly. This second VM executes WASM bytecode instead of EVM bytecode.

By enabling smart contracts in languages that compile to WebAssembly (WASM), Stylus allows developers to tap into the broader ecosystem of programming tools, particularly Rust, C, and C++. Other languages like Go, Sway, Move, and Cairo are also compatible. It was built to offer:
Aztec is a zk-rollup designed to enable privacy-preserving transactions while relying on Ethereum for security and data availability. It uses zk proofs to execute private functions within a Private Execution Environment (PXE) while public functions run on the Aztec Virtual Machine (AVM). This architecture allows users to choose whether they would like to keep their transaction information private or public. By integrating privacy features directly into its zk-rollup architecture, Aztec opens up Ethereum for new innovative use cases, such as private payments and identity management.
Kadena is a blockchain platform built for enterprise and institutional adoption. Its stack consists of Chainweb, a public proof-of-work chain, Pact, Kadena’s own smart contract programming language, and Kadena.js, a collection of Javascript libraries for building on Kadena.
Instead of employing a separate VM layer, Kadena integrates its execution framework directly into its architecture, powered by the Pact smart contract language. Pact avoids the complexities of traditional VMs, focusing instead on a secure, deterministic execution model that eliminates common vulnerabilities through features like formal verification and built-in error detection. This unique approach enables Kadena to provide robust state management and transaction execution without relying on a conventional VM design. Combined with Kadena’s Chainweb architecture, this execution environment has demonstrated scalability and reliability, with over 150 million transactions processed to date.

While general altVMs aim to enhance execution efficiency, flexibility, or performance for specific use cases, zkVMs stand apart by introducing verifiable computation as their core feature. They generate cryptographic proofs that validate program execution without requiring anyone to rerun the computation or even know its inputs. This makes them fundamentally different from general altVMs, which primarily optimize runtime environments for broader application performance and developer flexibility.
The key innovation of zkVMs lies in their ability to ensure correctness and trustless validation while also addressing scalability and privacy. By enabling cryptographic proof generation, zkVMs reduce the computational and storage burden on networks while preserving sensitive information.
This ability to ensure correctness and privacy makes zkVMs particularly suited for applications like rollups, private transactions, and systems requiring robust scalability without sacrificing privacy.
Notable zkVMs in production today include:
For a complete list of zkVMs see here.
So far we’ve examined a handful of different VMs and their unique approaches to blockchain scalability and performance. However, these VMs are built to exist in isolation, meaning developers still have to choose one that is best suited for their needs.
But what if developers don’t want to settle for just one VM?
The multi-VM approach is already being explored with Arbitrum Stylus. Additionally, there are several teams building dedicated solutions to enable developers to leverage the strengths of multiple VMs as opposed to just one:

It’s important to note that while these initiatives demonstrate the growing interest in adopting multiVM solutions, it remains to be seen how effective they will be in practice. Many of these solutions are still in their early stages, and their long-term impact on the broader altVM landscape is uncertain.
Just as developers didn’t settle for the EVM, it can be argued that they will continue to seek multiple VMs to choose from, leveraging the strengths of each for diverse applications. On the other hand, one could say that there is no need for multi-VM solutions, as a single, well-optimized VM could address most developer needs. Either way, the future of the altVM landscape is still unfolding, and teams are actively experimenting with different approaches today.
The rise of altVMs highlights a growing need for seamless cross-VM interoperability. While altVMs excel in specialized tasks, whether its high performance or enhanced security, the real challenge lies in connecting them with one another. Each altVM operates within its own framework, and enabling them to communicate and interact seamlessly with other blockchains and applications is no easy task. And so the key question becomes: how do we connect all these distinct environments?
For altVM developers, the journey is anything but straightforward. Beyond the significant effort required to build and deploy their VM, they must also ensure interoperability protocols can support them in order to seamlessly connect with other ecosystems. For interoperability protocols, the process is equally demanding. Integrating new VMs is no easy task, as each VM has its own architecture, programming language, and technical nuances. Supporting just one VM can require weeks or even months of work, from developing a deep understanding of its core design to implementing the necessary integrations. These challenges are only magnified when scaling to support multiple VMs.
However, without interoperability, altVMs and their ecosystems risk being isolated from the users, applications, and liquidity that drive external ecosystems. This risk is magnified if one particular chain or altVM attracts a majority of activity. For instance, Solana reestablished itself as a key economic hub in the past 2 years, prompting many interoperability protocols to integrate support for its unique execution environment, the SVM. These dynamics emphasize the importance of cross-VM interoperability in a rapidly evolving blockchain landscape, which will only continue to grow throughout 2025 and beyond.
That’s where Hyperlane comes in. As a permissionless interoperability framework that empowers any team to adapt it for any environment, Hyperlane meets the growing demand of new VMs and their respective integration needs. Currently, Hyperlane supports multiple altVMs, including the SVM, CosmWasm VM, and CairoVM, with more implementations planned for 2025.
What makes Hyperlane so powerful in the growing altVM landscape is that VM expansion is not bottlenecked by any single team or entity: anyone can deploy Hyperlane to any environment, all on their own terms. For example, as mentioned earlier, the Hyperlane implementation on CosmWasm was an independent effort by the Many Things team. Similarly, for the CairoVM, the Pragma team was able to independently deploy an implementation of Hyperlane on Starknet, connecting it to the 100+ chains Hyperlane is already live on. These community-led contributions could only be possible with an open source, permissionless framework like Hyperlane.
More chains. More VMs. Connected by Hyperlane.
AltVM Expansion.
See Hyperlane’s altVM implementations here.
Interested in getting Hyperlane on your VM? Reach out here
Hyperlane is the open interoperability framework. It empowers developers to connect anywhere onchain and build applications that can easily and securely communicate between multiple blockchains. Importantly, Hyperlane is fully open-source and always permissionless to build with.
