The Ethereum Foundation has set a 200 million gas limit floor for its Glamsterdam upgrade, more than triple the current 60 million ceiling. The upgrade, now scheduled for the third quarter of 2026, is the first major implementation on the network’s long-term scaling roadmap.
The Foundation confirmed the milestone in a blog post on Monday following an interop event in Svalbard, Norway. Glamsterdam devnets are live. Scoping for Hegotà, the subsequent upgrade, is underway.
Ethereum Foundation Sets Gas Limit Floor
The Ethereum Foundation described the 200 million gas limit as a “credible post-Glamsterdam target”. The figure represents the minimum capacity the network will support after the upgrade goes live. Current block gas limits sit around 60 million, meaning the upgrade would deliver roughly 3.3 times the throughput on the layer-1 chain.
Glamsterdam reorganises how the network processes transactions and manages its database. The upgrade alters block creation and verification at a fundamental level, according to the Foundation’s technical documentation. The change is part of a broader effort to scale Ethereum’s base layer without relying solely on rollups or sidechains.
| Metric | Current | Post-Glamsterdam | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas limit floor | ~60 million | 200 million | +233% |
| Devnets live | N/A | Yes | N/A |
| Target date | N/A | Q3 2026 | N/A |
Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation Stabilised
The Foundation also confirmed the stabilisation of enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS). The system allows validators to outsource block-building duties to specialist builders. The enshrined version embeds this separation directly into Ethereum’s protocol rules, reducing reliance on external relays and giving the network more time to handle larger blocks.
EIP-8037 has been finalised alongside ePBS. The proposal adjusts pricing for state creation operations, raising the cost to prevent excessive state growth once block gas limits expand. Without it, the higher throughput would bloat the network’s storage requirements more quickly than node operators could absorb.
Protocol Leadership Transition
The Ethereum Foundation named Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik as the new leads for its Protocol cluster. Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko are leaving the Foundation. Alex Stokes is taking a sabbatical.
Corcoran said on X that the cluster is entering a new chapter. The immediate focus remains shipping Glamsterdam. Preparations for Hegotà and the Strawmap, Ethereum’s quantum-ready roadmap, are continuing in parallel.
Monnot said making Ethereum’s features more available to users is on his mind going forward. He added that he intends to participate in the plurality of ways the network gets built, without specifying his next role.
Roadmap Timing
Glamsterdam was originally scheduled for June 2026. The Foundation now expects it to land sometime in the third quarter. The delay reflects the complexity of the changes being implemented. Devnets are live, meaning developers are testing the upgrade in controlled environments before mainnet deployment.
Hegotà follows Glamsterdam on the roadmap. The Strawmap, which addresses quantum computing threats to Ethereum’s cryptographic assumptions, is advancing alongside both upgrades. The Foundation has not set a firm date for Hegotà.
The 200 million gas limit floor is the headline figure from the Glamsterdam upgrade. If the devnets hold and the timeline sticks, Ethereum’s base layer will handle significantly more transaction volume by late 2026. Whether that throughput is enough to keep pace with demand from rollups and application layers is the question the next two years will answer.
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