Ethereum has successfully implemented the Glamsterdam update on its Sepolia test network, marking one of the final major rehearsals before transitioning to the mainnet. According to Ethereum community contributor Pooja Ranjan, the update went live on Tuesday at 13:53 UTC.
Targeting Scalability and Efficiency
Glamsterdam is considered a pivotal step in Ethereum’s first-layer scaling roadmap. The Ethereum Foundation highlighted in a blog post dated September 28 that this release introduces a built-in proposer-builder separation, block-level access lists, and revised gas pricing mechanisms intended to more accurately reflect transaction costs.
Positioned as the next significant technical leap following Fusaka, developers aim for these transitions to deliver higher network throughput, fortify the first-layer structure, and enhance user experience simplicity.
Ethereum Foundation aims to advance first-layer scalability and make the block production and validation processes more efficient with Glamsterdam.
Key Technical Enhancements
Among the standout features are the built-in proposer-builder separation, known as ePBS, and block-level access lists dubbed BAL. This framework seeks to alter how blocks are produced and validated, potentially boosting transaction capacity on the main network.
Under EIP 7732, roles for proposers and block builders are delineated, with plans to separate consensus validation and execution verification. This is expected to afford validators additional time to oversee execution loads.
Currently, Ethereum processes transactions sequentially. The adoption of a parallel processing approach aims to allow more transactions per second and expanded block capacity without raising the gas limit. As in financial markets where real-time data tracking is crucial, keeping abreast of network upgrades is similarly pivotal. With swift market changes spurred by factors like a Fed decision or an unexpected altcoin listing, proficient traders are gravitating towards tools like CryptoAppsy to consolidate charts, alerts, and critical financial information on a single platform.
Next Phase: Hoodi Test Network
EIP 7928 introduces block-level access lists that record the accounts and storage locations accessed during a block, as well as post-transaction state changes. This approach supports clients in reading state data from disks in parallel, validating transactions simultaneously, and calculating state roots more efficiently.
In a May assessment, the Ethereum Foundation set a 200-million gas base limit for Glamsterdam, a substantial increase from the current network gas limit of approximately 60 million, indicating a potential boost in processing speed post-update.
Following the Sepolia deployment, developers will determine the activation date for the Hoodi test network, followed by the definitive mainnet schedule.
With the Sepolia implementation complete, developer teams are now focusing on the Hoodi test network. The main network’s exact timeline is anticipated to be finalized subsequently. Glamsterdam is being closely monitored, with projections suggesting it could emerge as one of the most impactful Ethereum updates by 2026.
