Ethereum Set to Accelerate: Key Gas Limit Hike Hike Expected in January
Ethereum has never advanced in spectacular fits and starts. Its development is more like a series of subtle adjustments, sometimes invisible to the general public, but decisive in the long run. And January could mean a new stage in this patient strategy. The developers of the protocol are considering increasing the gas limit per block to 80 million compared to today’s 60 million.
In short
- Ethereum developers plan to increase gas limit per block from 60 million to 80 million after January 7th BPO update
- Two client-side optimizations are still required before the actual increase, including handling partial blob responses and implementing the “max blobs” flag.
Technical increase with very real effects
Ethereum developers are considering increasing the gas limit per block. Since November, this limit has increased to 60 million. It will now be 80 million and will take effect from January 2026. This measure will be effective after the next major Blob Parameter Only (BPO) update, scheduled for January 7th.
This would allow for a larger number of transactions and execution of smart contracts to be included in each block. This is a continuation of the gradual adjustments made in 2024 after several increases in the gas limit during the year.
However, this development remains conditional on the implementation of two technical optimizations on the client side. According to Barnabas Busa, an engineer at the Ethereum Foundation, partial blob reactions on the execution layer must be completed, as well as the “max blobs” indicator on the consensus layer, before any further effective increases can be made.
Balls play a key role here. Recently introduced, these data structures allow storing information related to cumulative operations off-chain. This will lead to lower costs and better scalability without putting too much strain on the overall state of Ethereum.
Ethereum vs Solana: another strategic bet
Even with 80 million gas per block, Ethereum will not directly compete with blockchains like Solana or Sui in terms of raw speed or ultra-low fees. And that’s not really the goal.
Ethereum continues to bet on another location. It is a highly secure, robust and above all decentralized settlement and execution layer. So every increase in the gas limit is a balancing act. Ethereum wants to gain performance without sacrificing validator diversity or excessively increasing hardware requirements.
This caution explains the gradual rate of increase seen in 2024. February, July and November saw three consecutive increases, from 30 to 60 million. January could be the fourth stage of this controlled movement.
An increase to 80 million would only be an intermediate step. The target is increasingly openly circulating within the Ethereum community. The aforementioned cryptocurrency wants to reach a gas limit of 180 million by the end of 2026.
While the web3’s rising star is in freefall between companies, its developers are expected to confirm their schedule during a meeting scheduled for January 5. If the technical conditions are met, Ethereum could well start the year faster, but still controlled.
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Lydia, a teacher and IT engineer, discovers Bitcoin in 2022 and dives into the world of cryptocurrencies. It popularizes complex topics, deciphers Web3 challenges and defends the vision of an open, inclusive and decentralized digital future.
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The comments and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be considered investment advice. Before making any investment decision, do your own research.