14h00 ▪ 5 min read ▪ by Evans S.
Summarize this article with:
Ethereum is preparing a new important test for Glamsterdam. On October 26 at 17:42 UTC, the upgrade will be activated on Hoodi with a limit of 200 million gas per block. The testnet will thus go well above the approximately 60 million used as a reference before. After Sepolia in early October, Ethereum wants to verify that such capacity can operate without making blocks too heavy to process.
In brief
- Glamsterdam will arrive on Hoodi on October 26 at 17:42 UTC.
- The gas limit will be raised to 200 million per block.
- No activation date on the mainnet has been set yet.
Ethereum pushes Glamsterdam to 200 million gas
Hoodi marks the next step after the successful activation of Glamsterdam on Sepolia on October 6. The Ethereum Foundation set the fork for October 26, at epoch 132,352 and slot 4,235,264. At the same time, the testnet gas limit will be raised to 200 million.
This number measures the maximum amount of computational work a block can contain. The higher the limit, the more Ethereum can theoretically include transactions, DeFi trades, or interactions with smart contracts in the same block.
Sepolia has already provided some data. After its switch to Glamsterdam, some blocks operated with a limit close to 200 million gas. However, the studied blocks only used between 26 and 46%. During an observation period of six minutes, all scheduled blocks were produced and 99.97% of the eligible stake participated in finality. The next test now needs to verify this behavior in the Hoodi environment.
200 million does not mean three times more transactions
Raising from 60 to 200 million represents a multiplication by about 3.3, i.e., a theoretical capacity increase of 233%. Ethereum has aimed at the 200 million mark for several months. Developers now consider this level technically credible thanks to several changes introduced with Glamsterdam.
Block-Level Access Lists must notably indicate in advance which parts of the Ethereum state will be used by a block. Clients can thus better prepare certain reads and pave the way for more parallel processing.
The ePBS modifies, on its part, the relationship between validators and actors specialized in block construction. But a ceiling three times higher does not automatically mean three times more transactions. The nature of operations matters a lot. A simple ETH transfer, a complex swap, and the deployment of a smart contract do not consume the same amount of gas.
Ethereum must also monitor the growth of its state. More execution can generate more permanent data to be stored by nodes. Glamsterdam therefore also reviews the pricing of certain operations with EIP-8037 and EIP-8038. Some actions might even cost more gas after the upgrade.
The Ethereum mainnet still has no date
The schedule currently stops at Hoodi. The Ethereum Foundation explicitly states that the deployment date of Glamsterdam on the mainnet has not yet been decided. The raise to 200 million on Hoodi should therefore not be presented as the future configuration already agreed upon for the main network.
Developers first want to observe the capacity of clients, validators, and infrastructures to keep up. Ethereum had already adopted a progressive approach with Fusaka, activated in December 2025. This upgrade notably prepared the ground for higher execution capacity and better data processing.
Glamsterdam continues the work with a higher ambition. The market context, however, is less favorable. ETH was around $2,400 on October 18, compared to nearly $2,726 at the beginning of the month according to data compiled by Coinpaper.
The transition to Hoodi therefore does not guarantee any rebound in price. It mainly aims to answer a technical question: Can Ethereum accept much larger blocks without making its network too heavy to operate? October 26 will provide a new part of the answer.
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Evans S.
Fascinated by Bitcoin since 2017, Evariste has continuously researched the subject. While his initial interest was in trading, he now actively seeks to understand all advances centered on cryptocurrencies. As an editor, he strives to consistently deliver high-quality work that reflects the state of the sector as a whole.
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.