Ethereum’s Glamsterdam Upgrade Advances with Sepolia Testnet Launch
Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade has officially launched on the Sepolia testnet, marking a critical step before its eventual rollout to the mainnet. The upgrade, which went live on Tuesday at 1:53 pm UTC (epoch 353,024), is part of Ethereum’s broader layer-1 scaling roadmap. Key protocol changes include enshrined proposer-builder separation (EIP-7732) and block-level access lists (EIP-7928). These changes aim to improve block production, validation, and overall network efficiency.
EIP-7732 is designed to streamline block production and validation by separating the roles of proposers and builders more clearly. This separation reduces validation bottlenecks and allows validators more time to check execution payloads. Meanwhile, EIP-7928 introduces block-level access lists, which help clients read and compute state more efficiently by explicitly recording accessed accounts and storage locations. This enhances parallel processing and reduces computational friction.
Following further testing on the Hoodi testnet, developers will finalize the activation date for the mainnet. The Ethereum Foundation described Glamsterdam as a significant step toward improving network scalability and efficiency. The upgrade is set to introduce a 200 million gas limit floor, a substantial increase from the current limit of around 60 million, which is expected to boost performance.
After Glamsterdam’s mainnet activation, attention will shift to the next major upgrade, Hegotá. Developers have already begun reviewing proposals, with a focus on introducing additional privacy capabilities. The performance and stability results from Hoodi testing will be key indicators of whether Glamsterdam’s changes deliver the targeted efficiency gains.