Key Takeaways
- Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade is scheduled to activate on the Hoodi testnet on Oct. 26.
- Enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) aims to streamline block production, reduce reliance on intermediaries, and improve transaction processing efficiency.
- Revised gas pricing rules aim to optimize resource usage and control blockchain state growth as Ethereum scales.
Ethereum is preparing for another major step in its scaling roadmap, with the Glamsterdam upgrade scheduled to activate on the Hoodi testnet on Oct. 26, 2026, at 17:42 UTC.
The Ethereum Foundation confirmed that the upgrade will raise Hoodi’s block gas limit to 200 million, matching the capacity introduced on Sepolia earlier this month.
Beyond increasing capacity, Glamsterdam introduces fundamental changes to how Ethereum builds, processes, and validates blocks, potentially paving the way for faster transactions and lower network congestion.
The upgrade combines enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS), block-level access lists (BALs), and revised gas pricing rules designed to improve Ethereum’s Layer 1 efficiency.
However, the October 26 activation applies only to the Hoodi testnet. A deployment date on Ethereum’s mainnet has not yet been finalized.
Ethereum’s 200 Million Gas Limit Signals a Major Scaling Push
According to the Ethereum Foundation’s announcement, Glamsterdam will activate on Hoodi at epoch 132,352, corresponding to slot 4,235,264.
The upgrade follows its successful scheduled activation on Sepolia on October 6, marking another milestone before a potential mainnet rollout.
The most immediately visible change is Hoodi’s increase in the block gas limit to 200 million.
Gas measures the computational work required to execute transactions and smart contracts on Ethereum. Raising the limit allows blocks to accommodate more computational activity, potentially increasing network throughput.
However, a higher gas limit does not automatically translate into a proportional increase in transactions per second.
Actual performance depends on transaction complexity, network conditions, and the efficiency with which validators process larger blocks.
Glamsterdam is designed to address those constraints through architectural improvements rather than relying exclusively on larger blocks.
The Ethereum Foundation has emphasized that scaling must remain compatible with reasonable hardware requirements for independent node operators, preserving the network’s decentralization.
How Glamsterdam Could Make Ethereum Transactions Faster
Two Ethereum Improvement Proposals sit at the center of Glamsterdam’s performance improvements.
The first, EIP-7732, introduces enshrined proposer-builder separation, formally dividing responsibilities between participants who propose blocks and those who construct their transaction payloads.
Currently, this relationship often depends on external infrastructure, including third-party relays.
By integrating the process directly into Ethereum’s consensus protocol, ePBS reduces reliance on trusted intermediaries and gives validators additional time to verify execution data.
According to Ethereum’s roadmap, the changes could extend the effective data propagation window from approximately two seconds to nine seconds.
The second major proposal, EIP-7928, introduces block-level access lists.
These lists identify which accounts and storage locations transactions will access, allowing Ethereum clients to prepare data more efficiently.
Rather than processing every operation through strictly sequential validation, clients can perform parallel disk reads and validate independent transactions simultaneously.
Together, these improvements establish the technical foundation for substantially higher throughput without requiring every node to perform proportionally more work.
However, the benefits will depend on successful implementation and further optimization across Ethereum clients.
Lower Fees, New Gas Rules, and the Road to Mainnet
Glamsterdam also introduces changes to Ethereum’s gas pricing structure.
EIP-8037 adjusts the cost of creating new blockchain state, while EIP-8038 revises state-access pricing to better reflect the resources consumed by network operations.
These adjustments aim to prevent excessive blockchain database growth as Ethereum increases its processing capacity.
Additional changes include revised transaction costs, expanded smart contract size limits, and improvements to validator operations.
For developers, however, the upgrade creates potential compatibility challenges.
Applications relying on fixed gas assumptions or hardcoded transaction limits may require modifications before the changes reach mainnet.
The Ethereum Foundation has urged node operators to update both execution and consensus clients before Hoodi’s activation.
For ordinary ETH holders, no action is required.
The next major milestone will be determining whether Glamsterdam performs reliably under testnet conditions.
Although December has emerged as a possible window for mainnet deployment, no official activation date has been confirmed.
If testing succeeds, Glamsterdam could become one of Ethereum’s most consequential scaling upgrades, laying the groundwork for greater Layer 1 capacity and potentially cheaper transactions as network activity grows.
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, financial advice. We do not make any warranties regarding the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of this information. All investments involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We recommend consulting a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Giuseppe Ciccomascolo began his career as an investigative journalist in Italy, where he contributed to both local and national newspapers, focusing on various financial sectors.
Upon relocating to London, he worked as an analyst for Fitch's CapitalStructure and later as a Senior Reporter for Alliance News. In 2017, Giuseppe transitioned to covering cryptocurrency-related news, producing documentaries and articles on Bitcoin and other emerging digital currencies. He also played a pivotal role in establishing the academy for a cryptocurrency exchange website. Crypto remained his primary area of interest throughout his tenure as a writer for ThirdFloor.
