Ethereum Researcher Suggests a 100-Fold ‘Exponential’ Gas Limit Bump to Help Mainnet Scaling

Summary

• Major Scaling Proposal (EIP-9698): Ethereum researcher Dankrad Feist has proposed a phased, 100-fold increase in the mainnet gas limit over four years (from 36 million to 3.6 billion), using a deterministic exponential schedule starting mid-2025.

• Goal and Potential Impact: The objective is to significantly boost Ethereum’s base layer transaction capacity, potentially enabling up to 2,000 TPS, thereby enhancing scalability directly on Layer 1 as an alternative or complement to the existing Layer 2-focused roadmap.

• Context and Considerations: This ambitious proposal arrives amid ongoing debates about Ethereum’s scalability versus competitors and low current mainnet gas fees (possibly due to L2 adoption and EIP-4844); Feist acknowledges potential node stress but argues the gradual increase allows time for adaptation.

A proposal originating from Ethereum researcher Dankrad Feist, identified as EIP-9698, advocates for a substantial, long-term expansion of the Ethereum mainnet’s gas limit.

Published recently, this EIP suggests implementing a hundredfold increase over a four-year duration via a predetermined, gradual schedule.

The Proposed Mechanism: Deterministic Exponential Growth

According to this plan, Ethereum clients would endorse raising the gas limit based on an exponential timetable.

The proposal specifies a “deterministic gas limit growth schedule” featuring tenfold multiplications every two years (corresponding to 164,250 epochs), with the initial increase set for June 2025.

Addressing Potential Implementation Challenges

Feist recognized possible difficulties, such as placing strain on less-optimized nodes and extending block propagation durations.

He maintained that the gradual increments outlined would afford node operators and developers the necessary time for adaptation and optimization efforts.

Comparison with EIP-7935 (Near-Term Increase)

This proposition arrives subsequent to a different suggestion from several Ethereum researchers—Sophia Gold, Toni Wahrstätter, Carl Beek, Alex Stokes, and Feist himself. 

Understanding the Gas Limit and Its Historical Context

At present, the Ethereum gas limit stands at 36 million, having increased from 30 million earlier in the current year.

During Ethereum’s initial launch in 2015, we set the limit at approximately 5,000 gas per block.

It had ascended to roughly 15 million gas by 2021, and post-“The Merge” transition in 2022, it hovered around 30 million gas.

Defining Ethereum’s gas limit: it represents a ceiling on the aggregate computational expenditure (quantified in gas units) permitted within a single block.

Gas serves as the unit measuring the computational resources needed for executing transactions or deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum platform.

Users compensate for this consumed gas using ETH, based on the prevailing gas price.

An increased gas limit permits a greater volume of computational tasks—like more transactions or complex smart contract interactions—to be incorporated into each block.

Scalability Landscape and Network Dynamics

Ethereum has historically drawn criticism regarding its scaling limitations and its strategic dependence on a Layer 2-oriented roadmap.

Its base layer (Layer 1) processes in the range of 15–30 transactions per second, operating with a 36 million gas limit per block.

Although Ethereum is generally regarded as having stronger decentralization compared to other Layer 1 networks, its transaction throughput remains significantly lower than that of competitors such as Solana (claiming up to 65,000 TPS) or newer blockchains like Aptos and Sui.

Nevertheless, it is pertinent to observe that Ethereum’s gas fees have persisted at low levels, around 1–2 gwei, for the past several months.

This suggests that demand for mainnet blockspace has lessened, attributable perhaps to elements like the implementation of proto-danksharding (EIP-4844) and a considerable migration of user activity towards Layer 2 platforms.

The Rollup-Centric Roadmap and Alternative Views

Ethereum’s developmental trajectory, as often described by co-founder Vitalik Buterin, concentrates on “rollup-centric scaling.”

Under this paradigm, Layer 2 solutions, including Optimism, Arbitrum, Base, and ZK Rollups, are expected to manage the majority of transaction throughput.

In contrast, the base layer, or mainnet, prioritizes security and data availability functions.

Critics counter that this methodology delegates scalability to Layer 2s, thereby introducing complexity, fragmentation across the ecosystem, and potential centralization vulnerabilities.

For instance, numerous Layer 2 rollups currently depend on centralized sequencers.

By directly enhancing Layer 1 capacity, Ethereum could potentially compete more effectively with blockchains offering high native transactional throughput.

Also Read: Celo Evolves into Ethereum Layer-2 Network Utilizing Optimism Rollup Technology

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