Mev and Scalability: Error the cryptors prefer to ignore

The maximum extractable value (MEV) has become one of the burning subjects of the crypto ecosystem. If MeV is often considered to be beneficial for the network, it has different side effects. For example, on Ethereum, this leads to some centralization of blocks. Recently, Flashbot scientists have pointed out that Mev can slow scalability.

Understand Mev and its mechanisms

Before we get to the heart of things, let’s go back to Mev. So Mev indicates option for certain actors, often validators or robots to use their position to extraction from the value of transactions on the blockchain.

They go for that Manipulate the order, include or excluded transactions into a block. The goal is to optimize the value in this block.

However, this practice has several derivatives. Among them, a strategy, such as a sandwich attack that consists of inserting transactions before and after a targeted operation to manipulate prices to its advantage.

For example, on a solena The foundation had to ban validators who used these prohibited practices. An event that reminded everyone that Mev could become a threat to security and user.

Mev, scalable brake

June 16, Robert Miller, founder of Flashbots, published an article called “Mev and Scalability Limits”. We remind you that the scalability of blockchain indicates its ability to heal a large number of transactions, remaining decentralized and safe.

Miller in his article shows that Mev creates economic barriers that cancel technical progress of network.

Research Flashbots reveals an alarming phenomenon: Mev Robots now consume more than 50 % of sources On the robe of Ethereum as a base or OP mainnet. All, pay less than 10 % of costs. Based on, 2 actors represent 80 % spama critical situation.

And this is not limited to the ecosystem of EVM. In fact, they occupy 40 % of the block space in the solana.

This excessive consumption neutralizes the scalability that could be made by blockchains. For example, the base added equivalent between November 2024 and February 2025 Three Ethereum networks in capacity. But almost everything was absorbed by spam robots.

This is mainly due to the operation of these robots. In fact, for every successful arbitration opportunity, it will send the shoe of approximately 350 transactions that fail. These are obviously unnecessary resources and capacity in the network.

This frantic race creates an artificial “fresh floor”. Despite the increase in capacity, the costs of ordinary users remain high.

The origin of the problem

After revealing the problem, Miller seeks to identify his origin. According to him, there are four structural causes:

1. Transaction expressiveness : Unlike traditional markets, blockchain transactions can contain comprehensive conditional logic that allows robots to react in real time.
2. A private mempools : To protect users from fronttrunning, networks have made their Mempools private. Shoes that no longer see waiting transactions must “guess” the bombing of the transaction network.
3. Too low cost : Cheap swarms invites robots to massively try their happiness, because gaining a single success to a large extent covers failure.
4. Absence of effective auctions : Without the mechanism for optimizing the order of transactions, competition is performed by the amount of gas consumed and spam support.

As a result, technical scalability becomes unnecessary because the smallest profits are the robots immediately. How Miller sums up: “Mev is now the main limit of the scalability of the blockchains”.

Solutions to store scale

Flashbots with this observation offers two concrete tracks.

Miller relies on one side “Programmable Confidentiality”. The aim is to enable robots to access transaction flows through the implementation environment (TEE).

“First of all, we will discuss the issue of access to the state through programmable privacy protection. The effective market must provide scientists with real -time access to the transaction stream, while applying restrictions on how they can use this information.” »»

These are “black cabinets” that guarantee that data cannot be manipulated or published. In practice, the enclave in the processor where the data is processed without undergoing the risk of being exposed.

This solution was significantly tested on the Ethereum and allows robots to calculate them outside the string without the SPAMO network.

On the other hand, Miller addresses “Explicit Auction”. One of the current problems is the gas cylinder. Rather than fighting gas, Bots could participate in direct auctions for incorporation and the order of transactions. As a result, this market would replace current waste with an effective, structured and predictable system.

“These two elements, programmable confidentiality and explicit auctions, work in tandem to create a solution. Programmable confidentiality eliminates the need to write in the chain to read the last state without exposing the flight forward.

Whatever it is, it seems that the future of scalability must not be so much increased in the increase in block space, but with better use.

On the Ethereum side, the question of scalability remains the core of the debate. Recently, Vitalik buterin begged for Nodes without nationality Which, as he said, improves the scalability of the network.