Is Sui compatible with EVM? Analyzing the ecological integration approach of high-performance public chains

Sui achieves remarkable transaction processing capabilities through its unique Move programming language and parallel processing architecture.

In non-EVM compatible blockchains, Sui ranks second only to Solana with an average of 854 real TPS per day, and the combined performance of both is approximately four times that of EVM-compatible chains. However, it is not natively compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

01 Market Overview: Sui’s Technical Positioning and Market Performance

Currently, the entire cryptocurrency market has experienced a broad decline. According to the latest data from December 16, the Layer 1 sector has fallen by 3.34%, with Sui (SUI) dropping by 8.35%.

In this adjustment, Bitcoin declined by 3.19%, falling below $86,000; Ethereum fell by 4.11%, dropping below $3,000.

Against this market backdrop, Sui’s technical features and ecosystem strategy warrant deeper exploration. As of December 15, SUI’s price is approximately $1.5587, with a market cap of about $15.587 billion, ranking 28th among global cryptocurrencies.

Despite market volatility, the development momentum of the Sui network remains robust. The number of monthly active developers has exceeded 1,400 by mid-2025, a 219% increase from early 2024.

02 Core Architecture: Sui’s Native Non-EVM Design

To understand Sui’s relationship with EVM, it is essential to clarify a fundamental fact: Sui is a native non-EVM compatible blockchain.

This design stems from its core technical choices. Unlike Ethereum and most Layer 1 public chains that use Solidity and EVM architecture, Sui employs the Move smart contract language derived from Facebook (now Meta)'s Diem (originally Libra) project.

This language difference is not only at the syntax level but also deeply embedded in the security model and execution mechanism.

The most notable feature of Move is its resource-based approach. This design inherently avoids security issues such as reentrancy attacks that have long troubled the EVM ecosystem.

Technically, Sui adopts a unique data model and parallel transaction processing consensus mechanism, which are key to its high throughput.

03 Parallel Processing: Performance Advantages of Non-EVM Chains

Blockchain performance reports reveal an interesting phenomenon: the most performant blockchains today, Solana and Sui, are both non-EVM compatible.

According to recent data, the average real TPS of 8 non-EVM compatible blockchains is 284, while 17 EVM-compatible chains and Ethereum Layer 2 solutions have an average TPS of only 74. This means non-EVM compatible blockchains are roughly four times more performant than EVM-compatible chains.

This performance gap is due to architectural limitations of EVM itself.

For example, EVM is designed as a 256-bit virtual machine to accommodate Ethereum’s hash algorithms, but in practice, computers need to map 256-bit bytes to local architectures during execution, reducing efficiency.

In contrast, Sui’s parallel execution capability allows it to process many independent transactions simultaneously, greatly increasing network throughput. This is why Sui can easily achieve an average of 854 real TPS per day.

04 Ecosystem Integration: How Sui Interacts with the EVM Ecosystem

Although Sui is not natively EVM compatible, this does not mean it is entirely isolated from the vast Ethereum ecosystem. In fact, through various technical approaches, Sui is seeking interoperability with the EVM ecosystem.

Industry analysis suggests that non-EVM parallel chains like Sui achieve EVM environment compatibility through “certain middleware or code parsing methods.”

This compatibility is described as a typical strategy of “differentiated Non-EVM parallel chains.” These chains inherently possess high concurrency execution capabilities and then indirectly connect to the EVM ecosystem via compatibility layers.

A specific technical direction is zkRollup based on zkEVM. In the long term, zkRollup is considered the most promising scaling solution due to its simplicity, high security, and efficiency.

Theoretically, it can be deployed on any network capable of verifying its proofs, making building zkEVM-based zkRollups on Sui entirely feasible.

The main advantage of this approach is attracting developers and users from the EVM ecosystem. For developers, deploying products on Sui’s highly compatible zkEVM-based zkRollup is almost indistinguishable from deploying on Ethereum or other EVM-compatible chains, requiring minimal code modifications.

05 Future Outlook: Cross-Chain Interoperability and Ecosystem Integration

The future Web3 ecosystem is likely to be a multi-chain coexistence model, with cross-chain interaction becoming a key requirement. Traditional cross-chain bridges face efficiency and complexity challenges as the number of chains increases, creating conditions for the emergence of full-chain solutions.

In this context, Omnichain zkRollup is expected to become the ultimate solution for cross-chain and even full-chain applications. Based on general-purpose zkEVM-based zkRollups and combined with full-chain interoperability protocols, it can aggregate asset liquidity across all chains and serve as the execution layer for the entire ecosystem.

For Sui, this means it does not need to alter its core architecture to conform to EVM standards but can connect to the entire crypto ecosystem through upper-layer protocols.

Using zero-knowledge proof technology, this connection can ensure transaction correctness while maintaining security comparable to the entire chain.

Developers can achieve fully programmable interaction of assets and information across different chains in such an environment, providing vast opportunities for innovative applications.

06 Investment Perspective: Technological Evolution and Market Opportunities

From an investment perspective, Sui’s technical route presents both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, as a non-EVM chain, it needs to build its own developer ecosystem and user base; on the other hand, its high-performance features may attract certain types of applications.

As of December 2025, the number of SUI token holders has reached 4.87 million, covering 55 exchanges, indicating a certain market foundation and liquidity.

Institutional attention to Sui is also gradually increasing. For example, the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index ETF has allocated 0.24% of its holdings to SUI tokens, enhancing institutional participation and asset recognition.

However, investors should also be aware of related risks. SUI tokens have experienced a 64.98% decline over the past year, falling from a historical high of $5.3674 in January 2025 to around $1.5587 currently.

Market analysis indicates that Sui faces fierce competition from other Layer 1 platforms, especially Aptos, which also uses the Move language ecosystem.

Future Outlook

As the Sui network expands, its cumulative transaction blocks and total objects continue to grow. On the Sui Explorer map, blue dots representing validator nodes are flashing in more regions worldwide.

Each blue dot is not only a technical node but also a testament to the vitality of this emerging ecosystem.