Ethereum will implement its “Fusaka” upgrade on December 3, a hard fork designed to enhance the network’s scalability and efficiency.
The Ethereum Foundation announced the mainnet activation date following successful final tests on its Hoodi testnet. This decision formalizes tentative plans discussed since September.
The upgrade involves roughly a dozen Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). These EIPs are a key part of Ethereum’s “The Surge” roadmap, aiming for greater sustainability, security, and scalability.
Key technical advancements include PeerDAS (EIP-7594). This allows validators to sample data “blobs” rather than downloading them fully. This significantly lowers bandwidth requirements for validators and Layer 2 solutions.
Fusaka will also increase the gas limit per block from 30 million to 150 million units. This change doubles the capacity for data blobs and speeds up transaction processing.
These improvements are expected to reduce operational costs for developers and validators. They will also boost transaction throughput and enhance user experience. The changes prepare the network for full danksharding.
Successful test deployments occurred on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets earlier in the month. The final Hoodi testnet activation took place on October 28 at 18:53 UTC. Teams involved reported a smooth deployment without major incidents.
To ensure robustness, the Ethereum Foundation conducted a four-week security audit contest in September. It offered prizes of up to $2 million to identify any vulnerabilities.
Fusaka follows the “Pectra” hard fork by six months. It sets the stage for the subsequent “Glamsterdam” update, which may feature proposer-builder separation.
The upgrade is seen by the community as strengthening Ethereum’s standing in decentralized finance and corporate innovation. This helps maintain its competitiveness against rival blockchain networks.
Developers have expressed confidence in a seamless deployment on December 3. No specific contingency plans have been announced.
Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), is currently trading above $3,800. It has seen a slight decline of 1.4% in the past 24 hours, according to market data.
The Fusaka upgrade aims to deliver a faster, cheaper, and more scalable network. This targets millions of global users.