Ethereum's Fusaka Fork Aims to Boost Block Capacity by 11%

Ethereum is poised to launch the Fusaka fork, a significant update aimed at enhancing the network's scalability and efficiency. This update is part of a broader strategy to optimize the Ethereum ecosystem without introducing major new features. The gas limit is set to increase to 45 million units, which could theoretically boost the block transaction capacity by over 11%. This change, although not formally part of Fusaka, has been validated by all clients and is subject to further benchmarks to ensure it does not exceed acceptable latency thresholds.

In addition to the gas limit increase, several structural EIPs (Ethereum Improvement Proposals) have been integrated into Devnet-2, the second test network for Fusaka. EIP-7928, for instance, aims to better regulate blob management, which was introduced with EIP-4844 during the Dencun fork. EIP-7892 limits the number of blobs a crypto transaction can include, preventing a single rollup from monopolizing data space. EIP-7918 sets a minimum fee and maximum number of blobs per block, ensuring efficient block use even during low demand periods.

Fusaka also introduces several optimizations for developers. EIP-7939 adds a new CLZ (count leading zeros) opcode, an instruction useful in certain calculations related to proofs or random generation. EIP-7951 adds a precompilation widely used in digital signatures on mobile and enterprise platforms, paving the way for better integration of Ethereum with authentication standards. However, these choices have not been unanimously accepted by all developers. Some, like Georgios Konstantopoulos, CTO at Paradigm, have criticized the non-integration of fixes for Solidity errors such as "stack too deep" and the 24 KB bytecode limit, which are seen as significant issues for developers.

Despite the criticisms, the Fusaka fork represents a strategic turning point for Ethereum. It demonstrates the network's ability to adapt, optimize, and consolidate without risking a break in consensus. The focus on technical sobriety and responsive governance could lay the foundations for controlled scalability, a choice that could be decisive in the coming year. The attention is now on Devnet-2, expected to launch soon, and a possible more ambitious Devnet-3. This update underscores Ethereum's commitment to enhancing its network's efficiency and stability, ensuring it remains a robust and scalable platform for decentralized applications.