Ethereum tests near 200 million gas blocks on Sepolia

Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade is producing Sepolia test blocks with a gas limit near 200 million, more than three times the previous level. The test gives developers a chance to see how the network handles more work in each block before any mainnet upgrade is scheduled. Gas measures the computing work needed to process transactions.

According to CoinDesk’s report on the Sepolia test, the upgrade activated on the public test network on Tuesday. Sepolia uses tokens with no real value, so developers can test software before introducing changes to Ethereum itself.

How much of the new block limit are test blocks using?

Early blocks have used less than half their available gas. CoinDesk reviewed more than 25 consecutive blocks and found they used about 52 million to 92 million gas each, or 26% to 46% of the limit. None came close to filling the new allowance, where the larger blocks would put more strain on the computers that run the network.

A higher limit could let Ethereum handle more activity before users compete for block space and fees rise. But it does not mean the network can fit three times as many transactions: Glamsterdam also changes how much gas different tasks cost.

What changes does Glamsterdam make?

The Ethereum Foundation’s testnet announcement says Glamsterdam adds block-level access lists, records of the accounts and stored data transactions touch. Clients can use those lists to read data and check unrelated transactions in parallel.

The upgrade also brings proposer-builder separation into Ethereum’s rules. This separates the work of assembling blocks from the work of validating transactions, giving validators more time to check them. Glamsterdam also changes gas charges for creating and accessing stored data, so developers need to retest applications that rely on specific gas costs.

When could the upgrade reach Ethereum’s main network?

There is no mainnet activation date yet. The Foundation says dates for Hoodi, another public test network, and mainnet have not been decided. CoinDesk reports that a Hoodi test is tentatively planned for Oct. 27, pending the Sepolia results.

The Sepolia test is an early check of whether Ethereum’s software can manage a larger block allowance. The sampled blocks used only part of that capacity, so the test has not yet shown how the network performs when blocks approach the limit.

Sources

• CoinDesk’s report on the Sepolia test — coindesk.com
• Ethereum Foundation’s testnet announcement — blog.ethereum.org