Maturing EVM Compatibility on Hedera

Blockchain, Ethereum, and cryptocurrency are all common terms thrown around today, but not everyone understands this terminology in an increasingly complex technological world. So, let’s start with the basics.

  • A blockchain is a “shared, immutable ledger for recording transactions, tracking assets and building trust,” according to IBM.
  • Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that uses encryption to enable it to function as a currency and virtual accounting system, according to Oswego State University of New York.
  • Ethereum is community-run tech that powers the cryptocurrency ether and decentralized apps.
  • Hedera is a company that goes one step beyond blockchains. They are an enterprise-grade network and maker of the HBAR cryptocurrency. Hedera helps developers create applications.
  • The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is “software that executes smart contracts and computes the state of the Ethereum network after each new block is added to the chain,” according to com.

What is Hedera doing to help address an ongoing issue where developers are lacking EVM compatibility?

On today’s episode of Gossip About Gossip by Hedera, podcast Host and SVP Communications, Swirlds Labs, Zenobia Godschalk, speaks with Nana Essilfie-Conduah, Senior Software Engineer, Swirlds Labs, about where Hedera is with EVM compatibility and what their future looks like in advancing this compatibility and connecting with the community.

Godschalk and Essilfie-Conduah also discussed…

  1. How Hedera has used EthereumJ to provide support for the Ethereum virtual machines and what limitations they faced with this
  2. Developer feedback on Hedera’s EVM feedback and the Hedera’s future roadmap
  3. How Hedera engages with community members

Essilfie-Conduah provided insight into what Hedera’s compatibility future looks like. “What’s in the pipeline is pushing from Etherum compatibility to equivalence. So, at the low levels, if they’re alcoves that are supported on the EVM that we didn’t before, we are now upgrading the system to be able to handle those things. And, like I said, to be able to get to the point where you can take any smart contract from Etherum, bring it over, and you’ll be good there,” he stated.

Nana Essilfie-Conduah is an experienced software engineer and programming analyst in the tech and consulting industries. He is currently Senior Software Engineer at Swirlds Labs and Hedera Hashgraph. He earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering and an MS in Engineering Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Essilfie-Conduah also holds a variety of edX certificates.

Recent Episodes

AI infrastructure is evolving at breakneck speed, and the real challenge is no longer just designing next-generation data centers—it’s executing them at scale. As demand for AI-ready facilities grows, operators must adapt to immense increases in power density, new cooling technologies, and unconventional deployment locations. Power density requirements for AI workloads are pushing the…

As AI infrastructure spreads beyond tech hubs and into America’s heartland, companies face a new imperative: not just to build facilities—but to build trust, local partnerships, and long-term value for the communities that host them. In Ellendale, North Dakota, Applied Digital’s Polaris Forge 1 campus has become a case study in what rural revitalization…

As demand for artificial intelligence continues to soar, the AI infrastructure needed to power it is scaling just as rapidly. A 2024 report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that global spending on AI infrastructure will exceed $200 billion by 2028, driven by an explosion in compute-heavy applications like large language models and…