Crypto: Ethereum targets 200 million gas to accelerate its network

Ethereum is preparing another massive increase in its capacity. Crypto network developers now consider a limit of 200 million gas per block as a credible goal after Glamsterdam. The mainnet currently operates around 60 million. If this step is taken, Ethereum could therefore more than triple the space available to execute transactions and smart contracts.

Ethereum crypto is preparing the move towards 200 million

Ethereum has already significantly increased its capacity in less than a year. The gas limit increased from 45 to 60 million at the end of 2025, a development already supported by more than 500,000 validators.

The next objective is much more ambitious. During a gathering of developers in Svalbard, Ethereum teams estimated that a floor of 200 million gas after Glamsterdam was becoming technically credible. This level mainly results from three projects: ePBS, Block-Level Access Lists and new pricing for certain operations with EIP-8037.

Gas measures the amount of computation an Ethereum block can accept. A higher limit therefore allows more operations to be placed in each block.

60 million today. 200 million targeted next. However, the increase will not be activated automatically from Glamsterdam. Validators will need to gradually adopt an upper limit, provided that clients and infrastructure follow without degrading network stability. The Sepolia testnet will constitute a first important test on October 6.

More capacity without exploding data

Tripling the gas limit seems simple on paper. The problem is what the transactions leave behind. Each account, smart contract and data kept sustainably increases the state of Ethereum. Allowing significantly more execution without changing the costs of certain operations could accelerate this growth and make nodes more cumbersome to operate.

Glamsterdam must therefore change the price of gas. EIP-8037 notably increases the cost of certain operations that create or use state. The aim is to charge more for activities that are most costly to the network, while freeing up capacity elsewhere.

Ethereum is also preparing Block-Level Access Lists. They indicate in advance the accounts and storage locations that a block uses, which should facilitate the parallel processing of certain data.

The crypto network has long sought to increase its throughput without simply inflating blocks. Average Ethereum fees have already fallen by over 85% this year, with ETH transfer falling to around $0.095 in September. A limit of 200 million would still give a lot more space. Provided that demand does not immediately fill this new capacity.

Glamsterdam now passes through Sepolia

Before 200 million, Ethereum needs to make Glamsterdam work properly. The upgrade combines several important changes. ePBS directly integrates the separation between block constructors and providers into the protocol. Block-Level Access Lists prepare for further parallelization. The new gas rules must better reflect the real cost of operations.

Deployment to Sepolia is scheduled for October 6 at 1:53 p.m. UTC. The Prysm and Teku clients still offer a limit of 60 million by default, but already allow testnet validators to explicitly configure 200 million.

The mainnet will have to wait. Ethereum has still not announced a definitive date for the activation of Glamsterdam on the mainnet. The developers are still continuing tests before this deployment. The objective of 200 million therefore remains a technical target, not a capacity already available. Ethereum has nevertheless progressed a lot since the 30 million gas which was its standard for a long time. The network is now at 60 million and is already preparing for the next stage. For layer 1 crypto, the change in scale is starting to get serious.