Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade, scheduled for March 2025, promises to significantly enhance the blockchain's scalability, efficiency, and user experience.
This update, which merges two previously planned upgrades—Prague and Electra—will address some of the network's key limitations, including high gas fees and scalability issues.
One of the most significant changes in the Pectra upgrade is the introduction of Account Abstraction (EIP-7702), which will allow users to pay transaction fees using a variety of tokens, not just Ether (ETH).
Source: Ethereum Foundation Youtube
This includes stablecoins like USDC or DAI, making Ethereum more flexible for both new and experienced users.
Developers will also be able to enable transaction batching and sponsor gas fees, further simplifying the user experience.
Wanchain CEO Temujin Louie shared in an interview,
“Pectra is another milestone for Ethereum. Account abstraction removes a key barrier, while also strengthening security.”
Ethereum’s scalability is another major focus of the Pectra upgrade, particularly with regards to Layer 2 rollups.
EIP-7742 increases the data storage capacity for these rollups by doubling the number of "blobs" stored per block from three to six.
According to Dom Harz, co-founder of Build on Bitcoin (BOB),
“By increasing available data space for Layer 2s, it helps prevent transaction costs from becoming too expensive.”
This change will allow for faster, cheaper transactions on Ethereum, benefiting users and developers alike.
The Pectra upgrade also brings key changes to Ethereum's validator system.
EIP-7751 increases the maximum amount of ETH a validator can stake from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH.
This will enable larger validators to scale more effectively and improve network security.
While the change is expected to enhance the overall operation of the network, it could also result in greater concentration of staking power, potentially altering Ethereum’s decentralisation landscape.
Additionally, EIP-7002 enhances the validator exit process, improving the user experience for those participating in Ethereum staking.
Meanwhile, EIP-6110 aims to streamline the validator deposit process by replacing the current voter mechanism with a more efficient block-based system.
Ethereum will also implement EIP-2537, a cryptographic improvement designed to strengthen the network's security.
Additionally, EIP-2935 will enable more efficient storage and retrieval of historical block hashes, improving the overall performance of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Ethereum is gearing up for the testnet phases of the Pectra upgrade.
The Holesky testnet will launch on 24 February 2025, followed by the Sepholia testnet on 5 March.
Should these tests proceed smoothly, the Ethereum community will confirm the mainnet launch date during the all-core developers (ACD) meeting on 6 March 2025.
As Ethereum prepares for this crucial upgrade, developers are hopeful that the improvements will have a far-reaching impact on the blockchain ecosystem, addressing both technical limitations and user experience challenges.
Dom Harz said,
“Pectra is a step in the right direction. By increasing available data space for Layer 2s, it helps prevent transaction costs from becoming too expensive. L2s store data in ‘blobs’, and Pectra will double the number of blobs per block from 3 to 6. Think of it like a warehouse: doubling its size means you can store more stock, process more orders, reduce costs, and operate more efficiently,”
Pectra’s extensive set of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) addresses many aspects of the Ethereum ecosystem, from user interaction to validator functionality.
By improving its network's capacity and security, Ethereum is strengthening its position in the competitive blockchain space.
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