To estimate the cost of storing the entirety of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) state on the Bitcoin blockchain, we must consider both technical feasibility and current economic factors. Here’s a breakdown:
Key Assumptions:
- EVM Data Size: The Ethereum blockchain’s full state (accounts, contracts, storage) is roughly ~1 TB (as of 2023). For this estimate, we’ll use 100 GB as a simplified proxy for active EVM state data.
- Bitcoin Transaction Fees: Assume a conservative fee rate of 10 satoshis per byte (sat/vB), though rates can fluctuate significantly.
- Bitcoin Price: Assume $30,000 per BTC.
Calculation:
- Data Size:
Convert 100 GB to bytes:
( 100 \, \text{GB} = 107,374,182,400 \, \text{bytes} ). - Total Transaction Fees in Satoshis:
( 107,374,182,400 \, \text{bytes} \times 10 \, \text{sat/vB} = 1,073,741,824,000 \, \text{satoshis} ). - Convert Satoshis to BTC:
( 1,073,741,824,000 \, \text{satoshis} \times 0.00000001 \, \text{BTC/sat} = 10,737.41824 \, \text{BTC} ). - Convert BTC to USD:
( 10,737.41824 \, \text{BTC} \times \$30,000 = \$322,122,547.20 ).
Caveats:
- Technical Feasibility: Bitcoin’s blockchain is not designed for bulk data storage. Methods like
OP_RETURN(limited to 80 bytes per transaction) or multi-signature scripts would require billions of transactions, making this practically infeasible. - Block Space Limitations: At 4 MB per block, storing 100 GB would take ~173 days if all Bitcoin blocks were exclusively used.
- Fee Volatility: Bitcoin transaction fees vary widely (e.g., from 1–100+ sat/vB), so costs could range from \$32 million to \$3.2+ billion.
Conclusion:
Storing 100 GB of EVM state data on Bitcoin would cost approximately \$322 million under baseline assumptions. However, technical constraints and fee volatility make this theoretically possible but practically unachievable. Projects like Rootstock (RSK) use sidechains for EVM-like functionality on Bitcoin, avoiding these costs.
Final Estimate: ~\$300 million to \$3+ billion USD, depending on data size and fee rates.
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