Ethereum's major upgrade! The Fusaka Hard Fork is scheduled for December 3rd, and the throughput will increase by 5 times.

Ethereum Foundation researchers officially confirmed the implementation date of the next-generation Mainnet major upgrade “Fusaka” as December 3 during Thursday's “All Core Developers” meeting. This backward compatible Hard Fork will implement about a dozen Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at enhancing the sustainability, security, and scalability of the underlying chain and its Layer 2 ecosystem. Among the most notable is the introduction of Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), as well as raising the Block Gas limit from 30 million to 150 million units, which is expected to rapidly double the Blob capacity.

Fusaka Hard Fork Scheduled: Ethereum Enters Next Major Phase

After successfully deploying multiple testnets, the Ethereum developer community has finally confirmed the official launch date of the next major Mainnet Hard Fork “Fusaka”.

• Launch date: Researchers from the Ethereum Foundation have officially set the activation date for Fusaka on December 3 during Thursday's “all core developers” call. Developers have been tentatively aiming for this date since mid-September.
• Testnet Verification: Fusaka was successfully deployed on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets earlier this month, and the final deployment took place on the Hoodi testnet on Tuesday.
• Core Objective: This backward compatible Hard Fork will implement approximately twelve Ethereum Improvement Proposals to enhance the sustainability, security, and scalability of the underlying chain and surrounding Layer 2 ecosystem.

Key Technological Breakthroughs: Significant Improvement in PeerDAS and Gas Limits

The key EIPs included in the Fusaka upgrade will bring a qualitative leap in the performance of Ethereum.

• Introduction to PeerDAS: Most notably, Fusaka will implement Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), a simplified technique for validators to access data. PeerDAS was originally planned to be implemented in the major Ethereum upgrade Pectra, but was postponed due to the need for additional testing.
• Throughput Potential Explosion: The Fusaka upgrade will dramatically increase the Ethereum block Gas limit from 30 million units to 150 million units. This radical increase means the block throughput of Ethereum could soar by 5 times.
• Blob capacity doubled: This upgrade is expected to rapidly double the Blob capacity, further reducing transaction fees for Layer 2, which is crucial for Ethereum scalability.

Security Assurance: $2 million bounty audit competition

To ensure the security of the Mainnet upgrade, the Ethereum Foundation has implemented high-level security measures before the official deployment.

• Security Audit: Last month, the non-profit organization initiated a four-week Fusaka audit competition.
• High Rewards: The audit competition offers rewards of up to $2 million to security researchers who find errors, ensuring that potential vulnerabilities are addressed before the Hard Fork activation.

The Six Stages of the Ethereum Roadmap

1. The Merge
2. Core Objective: To merge the Ethereum Mainnet with the Beacon Chain, thereby transitioning the consensus mechanism from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS). 2. Completion Status: Completed in September 2022, significantly reduced Ethereum's energy consumption and enhanced network security. 3. Follow-up Work: There are still related upgrades after the merge, aimed at further optimizing transaction confirmation speed and lowering the validator threshold.
3. The Surge
   1. Core Objective: Significantly enhance the scalability and throughput of Ethereum, particularly through Rollups-centered scaling solutions.
   2. Main Progress: EIP-4844 (“Prototype Sharding”) has been deployed in March 2024, significantly reducing the transaction costs of Rollups.
   3. Follow-up Plan: Continue researching and implementing complete data sharding (Danksharding) and technologies such as PeerDAS to further reduce node pressure and improve data availability.
4. The Scourge
   1. Core Objective: Address the centralization risks and censorship issues brought by Maximal Extractable Value (MEV).
   2. Core Challenges: The concentration of captured value in MEV, centralization issues of large liquidity staking services (LST), etc.
5. Technical Direction: Reduce the negative impact associated with MEV through mechanisms such as proposer-builder separation (PBS).
6. The Verge
7. Core Objective: Further simplify the block validation of Ethereum, reduce the hardware requirements for running nodes, thereby enhancing the decentralization of the network. 2. Technical Means: Replace the existing Merkle tree structure with a Verkle tree. This will make node storage more lightweight and improve data retrieval efficiency.
8. The Purge
   1. Core Objective: Reduce the historical data and technical debt stored on the Ethereum network, alleviate the storage burden on nodes, and maintain a lean and efficient chain.
   2. Main Method: Through upgrades like EIP-4444, it allows nodes to operate without the need for historical data, reducing the cost of synchronizing new nodes.
9. The Splurge
   1. Core Objective: Cover all other significant upgrades in the roadmap that do not belong to the aforementioned phases, to ensure the continuous growth, sustainability, and overall health of the Ethereum ecosystem.
   2. Main Content: Includes account abstraction, wallet social recovery, defense against quantum computing, and formal verification, etc.

Recent Key Upgrade Overview

• Pectra Upgrade: Scheduled for implementation in early 2025. This upgrade will introduce several improvements, including the integration of Verkle trees, optimization of EVM object format, and enhancement of social recovery features for wallets.
• Fusaka Upgrade: As a continuation of the Pectra upgrade, the Fusaka upgrade will be released in May 2025, further enhancing staking operations, validator features, and the cost-effectiveness of Layer 2.
• Prague/Electra Upgrade: As part of the Pectra initiative, this upgrade will further advance the Ethereum infrastructure, enhancing network performance and security.

Conclusion

Ethereum's “Fusaka” Hard Fork is scheduled for December 3rd, marking a key milestone in the Ethereum development roadmap. By implementing PeerDAS and increasing the block Gas limit fivefold, this upgrade will significantly enhance the performance of the Ethereum mainnet and greatly optimize the economic benefits of Layer 2, laying a more solid foundation for the entire DeFi and Web3 ecosystem. For all Ethereum users, developers, and altcoin investors, this upgrade is one of the most anticipated events of the year-end, heralding the arrival of a more sustainable Ethereum with higher throughput.

Disclaimer: This article is for news information only and does not constitute any investment advice. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and investors should make cautious decisions.