Ethereum Activates Second BPO Hard Fork, Expands Blob Capacity

• The Ethereum upgrade went live today and surged the blob limit of the network from 15 to 21.
• In December the first BPO hard fork went live, and since then ETH has shown less volatility in transaction fees. 

Ethereum has achieved another milestone this week as it has activated its second Blob Parameter-Only (BPO) hard fork, an aimed upgrade made to widen data capacity and back rollup-based scaling before a broader set of changes planned for this year. 

The upgrade went live today and surged the blob limit of the network from 15 to 21. Blobs are temporary data containers rolled out to aid rollups in bundling transactions more efficiently, reducing the pressure on the base layer of Ethereum and permitting layer-2 networks to process more activity at reduced cost.

Along with more cap, the hard fork also gained the blob target from 10 to 14.  Developers normally see the target as the more prominent figure, as it shows the level Ethereum targets to live under normal conditions. 

The Increased Efficiency

Being close to around a 21-blob ceiling for prolonged periods could strain node bandwidth and storage, making the aim a prominent signal for network health. One blob contains the capacity to carry 128 kilobytes of data, which means Ethereum can handle up to around 2.6 megabytes of blob data per block. 

The capacity permits rollups to give more transactions in a single go, enhancing efficiency without directly increasing congestion on the mainnet. Beyond scaling layer-2 activity, blobs have also played a significant role in keeping base-layer fees in check. 

In December the first BPO hard fork went live, and since then ETH has shown less volatility in transaction fees and suppressed competition for block space as rollups move data from the main chain. 

Developers are so far looking beyond additional throughput gains. In an Ethereum All Core Developers call in mid-December, participants had a word on increasing the network gas limit from 60 million to 80 million now that the second BPO upgrade is live. 

Such a step will help in permitting more transactions and smart contract operations on a single block, which will further reduce fees at the time of high demand. 

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