Ethereum Fusaka Upgrade: Here’s How the Gas Limit Will Change

Ethereum is at a significant stage as it prepares for the Fusaka hard fork. A major change is the increase in the block gas limit. According to recent data, the limit moved from 45 million to 60 million after more than half of the network’s validators agreed.

Higher Gas Limits Promote Efficient Smart Contracts

This upgrade enables Ethereum to handle more transactions simultaneously, reducing congestion and improving network efficiency. The gas limit specifies how much work can fit into a single block. Interestingly, this change is not just a quick fix; it shows a strategic plan for better performance in the future.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, in a post, explained that the increase in the gas limit is part of the network’s shift towards more specific and detailed optimizations. 

Vitalik affirmed that any future increases in the gas limit might come with higher fees for operations that use a lot of computing power. This will help keep the network decentralized by making sure that demanding smart contracts do not overload nodes.

Buterin also said the gas limit could increase significantly over the next year, potentially up to five times its current level. At the same time, the cost for inefficient operations could rise similarly.

Fusaka Upgrade to Boost Ethereum’s Speed and Scale

This change in the gas limit is timely because it occurs just before the Ethereum Fusaka upgrade. Notably, the Fusaka hard form, short for Fulu-Osaka, is regarded as a major milestone for Ethereum. This upgrade will help the Ethereum network grow while staying secure and decentralized.

Importantly, the upgrade will bring in Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS). This is designed to let validators check only small parts of data instead of downloading huge blobs. It is also set to make things faster, use less storage, and stay safe. 

Another improvement Fusaka will bring is the Verkle Tress. This will be a new way to store data that makes proofs smaller and easier to check. Additionally, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) will get an upgrade to run smart contracts faster. Together, these updates will reduce congestion, lower costs, and boost Ethereum’s speed and performance.

Ethereum’s Fusaka Upgrade Goes Live on Testnet

Meanwhile, the Fusaka upgrade has already gone live on the Hoodi testnet. Developers are now testing the new features before launching them on the main network.

As revealed during a recent developers call, the upcoming Fusaka upgrade is set to be released on December 3. 

No doubt, this upgrade is designed to bring major technical improvements. This includes EIP-7594, a new feature that lets validators access parts of “blob data” for effective communication with Layer-2 networks.

The gas limit will also increase to 150 million, enabling the network to process more transactions simultaneously. Fusaka also lays the foundation for full danksharding, a future upgrade expected to make Ethereum even faster and cheaper to use.