Is Sui Compatible with EVM? Exploring Ecosystem Integration for High-Performance Public Blockchains

Sui leverages its unique Move programming language and parallel processing architecture to deliver impressive transaction throughput.

Among non-EVM compatible blockchains, Sui ranks just behind Solana with a daily average real TPS of 854. Both chains achieve average performance roughly four times higher than EVM-compatible blockchains. However, Sui is not natively compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

01 Market Overview: Sui’s Technical Positioning and Performance

Currently, the entire cryptocurrency market is experiencing a broad downturn. As of December 16, Layer 1 blockchains have collectively dropped 3.34%, with Sui (SUI) falling by 8.35%.

During this correction, Bitcoin declined by 3.19%, breaking below $86,000, while Ethereum dropped 4.11%, falling below $3,000.

Against this backdrop, Sui’s technical features and ecosystem strategy warrant a closer look. According to data from December 15, SUI was priced at approximately $1.5587, with a market capitalization of about $15.587 billion, ranking 28th globally among cryptocurrencies.

Despite market volatility, Sui’s network continues to show robust growth. By mid-2025, the number of monthly active developers on the network exceeded 1,400, representing a 219% increase since early 2024.

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

To understand Sui’s relationship with the EVM, it’s essential to recognize a fundamental fact: Sui is a blockchain that is natively non-EVM compatible.

This design stems from its foundational technical choices. Unlike Ethereum and most Layer 1 public chains, which use the Solidity language and EVM architecture, Sui utilizes the Move smart contract language, derived from Facebook (now Meta)’s Diem (formerly Libra) project.

The differences extend beyond syntax, reaching into the core of security models and execution mechanisms.

Move’s standout feature is its “resource-based” approach. This design inherently avoids security issues such as reentrancy attacks, which have long plagued the EVM ecosystem.

On the technical front, Sui employs a unique data model and parallel transaction processing consensus mechanism, which are key to its high throughput capabilities.

03 Parallel Processing: Performance Advantages of Non-EVM Chains

Blockchain performance reports reveal an interesting trend: the highest-performing blockchains today—Solana and Sui—are both non-EVM compatible.

Recent data shows that the average real TPS for eight non-EVM blockchains is 284, while 17 EVM-compatible blockchains and Ethereum Layer 2s average just 74 TPS. This means non-EVM blockchains deliver about four times the performance of their EVM counterparts.

This gap arises from architectural limitations inherent to the EVM.

For example, the EVM is designed as a 256-bit virtual machine to accommodate Ethereum’s hashing algorithms. However, in practice, computers must map 256-bit bytes to local architectures, resulting in reduced efficiency.

By contrast, Sui’s parallel execution capability allows it to process large volumes of independent transactions simultaneously, dramatically increasing network throughput. This is why Sui easily achieves a daily average real TPS of 854.

04 Ecosystem Integration: How Sui Interacts with the EVM Ecosystem

Although Sui is not natively EVM compatible, it is not isolated from the vast Ethereum ecosystem. In fact, Sui is actively exploring multiple technical pathways for interoperability with EVM environments.

Industry analysis indicates that non-EVM parallel chains like Sui achieve EVM compatibility through “middleware or code parsing solutions.”

This approach is typical for “differentiated non-EVM parallel chains.” These chains offer high concurrency by design and then connect to the EVM ecosystem via compatibility layers.

One specific technical direction is zkEVM-based zkRollup. In the long run, zkRollup is seen as the most promising scaling solution due to its simplicity, high security, and efficiency.

In theory, zkRollup can be deployed on any network capable of verifying its proofs, making it entirely feasible to build zkEVM-based zkRollups on Sui.

The primary benefit 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 nearly identical to deploying on Ethereum or other EVM chains, requiring minimal code changes.

05 Looking Ahead: Cross-Chain Interoperability and Ecosystem Integration

The future Web3 ecosystem will likely feature a multi-chain landscape, making cross-chain interaction a key requirement. Traditional cross-chain bridges struggle with efficiency and complexity as the number of chains grows, paving the way for holistic solutions.

In this context, Omnichain zkRollup is poised to become the ultimate solution for cross-chain and even all-chain applications. Building on universal zkEVM-based zkRollups and integrating cross-chain interoperability protocols, it can aggregate liquidity from across all chains and serve as an execution layer for the entire ecosystem.

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

With zero-knowledge proof technology, this connection ensures transaction correctness while maintaining security equivalent to the sum of all chains involved.

Developers can leverage this environment for fully programmable interactions between assets and information from different chains, opening up vast opportunities for innovative applications.

06 Investment Perspective: Technological Evolution and Market Opportunities

From an investment standpoint, Sui’s technological path presents both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, as a non-EVM chain, it must build its own developer ecosystem and user base. On the other, its high-performance features may attract certain types of applications.

As of December 2025, SUI had 4.87 million wallet addresses and was listed on 55 exchanges, indicating a solid market foundation and liquidity.

Institutional interest in Sui is also rising. For example, the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index ETF has allocated 0.24% to SUI tokens, increasing institutional participation and asset recognition.

Nevertheless, investors should be aware of the associated risks. Over the past year, SUI tokens have dropped 64.98%, falling from a historic high of $5.3674 in January 2025 to around $1.5587 currently.

Market analysts note that Sui faces fierce competition from other Layer 1 platforms, especially Aptos, which also operates within the Move language ecosystem.

Outlook

As the Sui network expands, its cumulative block count and total objects continue to climb. On the Sui Explorer map, blue dots representing validator nodes are lighting up in more regions around the globe.

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