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ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake presented a transformative proposal for a new consensus layer upgrade called “Beam Chain” during his Nov. 12 conference. presentation at DevCon in Bangkok.
Beam Chain is a complete overhaul of ethereum's consensus layer, which would bring the blockchain network closer to its final architecture.
Drake noted that the current Beacon Chain, which has been around for five years, is outdated. During this time, research and technology have advanced significantly, opening up new opportunities for improvement in critical areas, including MEV (maximum extractable value), the advancement of SNARK technologies, and the fight against technical debt.
beam chain
Drake explained that his proposal is based on the advances made during this period and aims to update the ethereum consensus layer with the latest developments in blockchain technology.
Therefore, Beam Chain will prioritize faster finality and higher throughput, enabling faster transaction completion across three slots.
Staking requirements will also be reduced, allowing participants to stake with just 1 eth instead of the current 32 eth. This reduction will make ethereum staking more accessible to a wider range of participants.
Additionally, Drake also outlined plans to strengthen censorship resistance in block production by introducing separation between attester and proposer.
On the crypto side, the proposal aims to “SNARKify” the consensus layer, increasing security and performance while preparing the network for future quantum threats.
Although Beam Chain will involve significant changes, Drake emphasized that it will not alter the roadmap. Instead, it bundles several planned improvements into a comprehensive package. The goal is to eliminate technical debt from the pre-merger period and lay the foundation for substantial performance improvements.
Therefore, Beam Chain will keep ethereum secure and help improve the network.
If Beam Chain receives enough community support, developers could begin writing specifications next year, followed by development in 2026 and testing in 2027 before it is safe to deploy on the ethereum mainnet.
