Ethereum sets December 3 for Fusaka network upgrade

Ethereum Foundation researchers have now locked in a date for the Fusaka mainnet upgrade, just two days after its last testnet deployment.

During Thursday’s All Core Devs call, Ethereum Foundation researchers confirmed that Fusaka will go live on Dec. 3 — a date developers had been eyeing since mid-September. On Tuesday, Fusaka went live on the Hoodi testnet, completing its test phase after smooth launches on Holesky and Sepolia earlier in October.

The Fusaka update is the next step in Ethereum’s long-term plan, called “The Surge,” and aims to increase transaction throughput and data access. The network has already made progress, thanks to upgrades like Dencun and Shapella, which have improved staking withdrawals and Layer 2 data processes, respectively.

Fusaka’s emphasis on data efficiency builds upon these milestones, continuing Ethereum’s transition toward becoming a faster and more scalable blockchain ecosystem. Developers view it as a crucial stepping stone before Ethereum introduces full danksharding, which aims to expand network capacity massively.

The Fusaka upgrade raises the network’s block gas limit from 30 million to 150 million

Ethereum’s Fusaka upgrade will roll out nearly a dozen improvement proposals aimed at strengthening the network’s sustainability, security, and scalability.

One major enhancement in Fusaka is PeerDAS, also known as EIP-7594, a refined data access technique for validators. It allows validators to confirm Layer 2 transactions by sampling only a small portion of the blob data.

Its debut, however, had been delayed from Pectra earlier this year due to testing requirements. That aside, the upgrade is set to increase the network’s block gas limit from 30 million to 150 million, effectively doubling the blob capacity at a faster rate.

Additionally, it will be implemented into three stages: first, the mainnet release; then, blob expansion for Layer 2 scaling; and finally, a data limit increase via a hard fork. After which, the network will focus on its next update, Glamsterdam, which intends to improve block times and incorporate the enshrined proposer-builder separation, a key milestone in the Surge roadmap, according to sources.

Nethermind and other key development teams have already confirmed the successful Fusaka deployment on the Hoodi testnet, raising optimism for the December 3 release.

However, some market watchers have noted that Fusaka will improve the network, but it will not alleviate the stress of increasing new competitors or broader economic influences. Nevertheless, some asserted that the platform’s Layer 2-focused construction and information efficiency modifications will continue to propel it ahead of decentralized finance and corporate innovation. In September, the Ethereum Foundation launched a four-week audit tournament, offering researchers who discover vulnerabilities before the upgrade is publicly accessible approximately $2 million in prizes.

Ethereum is still under bearish pressure, with the price at $3800

On the other hand, Ethereum remains under bearish pressure, with the price fluctuating slightly above $3,800, despite developers revealing December 3 as the official mainnet launch date for the Fusaka upgrade. CoinGlass data indicates that Ethereum experienced $220.8 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours. Most of this figure came from long positions amounting to $190.3 million.

Ethereum sank below $3,700 on Thursday, hit by a rejection around the 100-day EMA, only to recover slightly above the $3,800 level. Overall, on the lower end, Ethereum may find a solid floor near $3,600, bolstered by the 200-day EMA. On the upside, a price recovery higher than $4,270 and the prevailing resistance line will pave the way towards $4,500. However, the Relative Strength Index and Stochastic Oscillator are lower vertically towards the midlines, indicating increased bearish pressure.

As Ethereum approaches the Fusaka activation, anticipation is running high among both developers and investors. If successful, Fusaka might indeed represent a significant development in fulfilling Ethereum’s long-term scaling objectives, keeping the path open as the foundation of a decentralized web.

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