Ethereum Plans 66% Gas Limit Increase to Boost Network Efficiency

Ethereum is planning to enhance its network efficiency by increasing its gas limit to 60 million units, a 66% rise from the current limit. This move is aimed at improving transaction capacity and overall network performance. The upgrade is set to be implemented on the blockchain’s mainnet network following successful tests on the Sepolia and Holesky testnets. Ethereum core developer Parithosh Jayanthi confirmed the rollout, stating that the upgrade would proceed if deemed safe and all bugs are patched.
The gas limit determines the maximum computational effort a block can handle, including basic transactions, smart contract executions, and interactions with decentralized applications. By increasing this limit, Ethereum can process more activities per block, potentially reducing congestion and enabling faster execution. According to community resource PumpTheGas, the upgrade could lower the network’s Layer 1 transaction fees by 10% to 30%, depending on network activity.
This would be the second gas limit increase for the year. In February, the limit was raised from 30 million to 36 million, marking the first adjustment since 2021. The proposed increase has garnered significant support from Ethereum validators and leading voices in the ecosystem. Nearly 80% of Ethereum validators support increasing the current gas limit from 36 million, with around 10,000 signaling readiness to implement the higher limit of 60 million.
Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake confirmed that his validator is already configured for the change, describing the move as safe, especially after recent improvements introduced by the Pectra update. Ethereum core developer Eric Conner also urged others to follow suit, emphasizing the long-term benefits of a higher gas ceiling. This widespread support aligns with previous calls from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and researcher Dankrad Feist, who have advocated for expanding the base-layer capacity. Buterin has repeatedly emphasized the need to scale Ethereum’s base layer, suggesting a tenfold increase in gas limits to support growing demand despite the growth of Layer 2 solutions.

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