©Reuters
The Foundation has set a new timeline for its next Dencun upgrade, which is now expected to take place in 2024. This latest development in Ethereum’s evolution focuses on the implementation of EIP-4844, an upgrade important day that promises to expand blockchain data capacity and transaction speed via proto-danksharding through blob transactions, while also aiming to reduce gas fees.
The Dencun update follows the successful Shappella update earlier this year, which introduced the ability for users to withdraw coined Ether (ETH). The Ethereum Foundation worked on these updates as part of its ongoing efforts to grow the network and improve its efficiency. This update is an expansion of the improvements made by the April Shappella hard fork.
According to the confirmed schedule, the Goerli testnet will be the first to test the Dencun upgrade on January 17, 2024, followed by the Sepolia testnet on January 31, 2024. Then, the Holesky testnet is scheduled for February 7, 2024. These testnets constitute crucial steps to ensure the upgrade is stable and ready to deploy on the main Ethereum network, which is planned for the end of February. However, these dates could change depending on the test results and more details are expected to be presented in an upcoming blog post planned for early January, as confirmed by Tim Beiko.
The delay in Dencun’s mainnet release to 2024 was attributed to technical complexities that required more time to resolve. Meanwhile, the partnership between Avail and StarkWare focuses on integrating data availability solutions using the Madara sequencer to create scalable Tier 3 application chains within StarkWare’s Tier 2 platform. This collaboration represents a significant step forward towards improving the scalability and efficiency of Ethereum.
Each phase of the Dencun upgrade will be overseen by Tim Beiko and his team, to ensure the protocol is supported throughout this critical period of Ethereum’s development. This detailed timeline provides a clear roadmap for Ethereum’s future evolution and reflects the Ethereum Foundation’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.
This article was generated and translated with the help of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information, see our T&Cs.