Ethereum Set to Boost Speed with Gas Limit Increase to 80 Million in January

Ethereum is set to enhance its transaction speed by raising the gas limit from 60 million to 80 million in January. This change, proposed by developers during a recent All Core Developers meeting, aims to improve network throughput and reduce fees while maintaining Ethereum's reputation as a secure platform.

Key Takeaways

Developers plan to increase Ethereum’s gas limit to 80 million in January.
This change is part of a series of updates to improve transaction speeds and lower fees.
The gas limit increase will take place following the next BPO hard fork on January 7.
Developers are aiming for a future gas limit of 180 million by the end of 2026.

Ethereum's transaction throughput is on track for another improvement next month, with developers preparing to raise the network’s gas limit from 60 million to 80 million in January. Christine Kim, vice president of research at Galaxy Digital, provided insights from the latest All Core Developers meeting. Representatives from Nethermind mentioned that developers should be ready to proceed with the gas limit increase after the upcoming BPO hard fork on January 7.

Barnabas Busa, an engineer from the Ethereum Foundation, emphasized that two optimizations are necessary before this increase can happen. These include implementing partial blob responses on the execution layer and maximum blobs flag on the consensus layer.

Ethereum Transaction Data
Source: Christine Kim

Raising the gas limit allows more transactions and smart contract operations to be included in each block. This enhancement not only boosts overall throughput but can also lead to lower transaction fees. Although increasing the limit to 80 million won't bring Ethereum's speed or cost efficiency on par with layer 1s like Solana or Sui, it reinforces Ethereum’s position as a reliable settlement and execution platform without significantly sacrificing decentralization—its most notable advantage over competitors.

Ethereum Set to Boost Speed with Gas Limit Increase to 80 Million in January

Confirmation of Plans in the New Year

Participants in the weekly Ethereum All Core Developers meeting will reconvene on January 5 to finalize the timeline for raising the gas limit following the second BPO hard fork. The first BPO hard fork occurred on December 9, increasing blob capacity by 66%, with the next hard fork expected to achieve another 66% raise.

Blobs on the Ethereum network contain large data segments that store transaction data and rollups off-chain. This reduces gas fees and enhances scalability while helping to keep the network from becoming bloated.

A Focus on Increasing Gas Limit

This effort to increase Ethereum’s gas limit and expand the network's execution capacity has been a central objective for developers and researchers throughout the year, showcasing three successful increases so far. The first increase happened in early February, raising the limit from 30 million to 35 million. The second increase took place in July, bringing the limit to 45 million, and the third adjustment in late November elevated it to 60 million.

Ethereum Developer Meeting
Source: Anthony Sassano

Members of the Ethereum developer and research community share a collective ambition to raise the network’s gas limit to 180 million by the end of 2026.

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