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In a significant advance for the ethereum (eth) ecosystem, researchers propose redesigning the network's consensus layer, with the goal of improving scalability, decentralization and security.
During a presentation at DevCon in Bangkok on Tuesday, Justin Drake, a researcher at the ethereum Foundation, introduced the concept of the “Beam Chain,” a new consensus layer intended to replace the existing one. Beacon chain.
The beam chain proposal
Duck <a target="_blank" href="https://thedefiant.io/news/blockchains/justin-drake-proposes-beam-chain-overhaul-for-ethereum” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>explained that the Beacon Chain, which has been in operation for five years, has become somewhat obsolete. “In those five years, a lot has happened,” he said, highlighting the rapid advances in blockchain technology and research.
The redesign will reportedly focus exclusively on the consensus layer, leaving the ethereum virtual machine (EVM) and binary large object (blob) data layer intact.
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Additionally, Beam Chain aims to revamp several critical aspects of ethereum's staking mechanism, block production system, and cryptographic architecture. One of the central proposals is to reduce the validator bonus from 32 eth to just 1 eth, a measure aimed at encouraging greater decentralization within the network.
Drake noted that the current Proof-of-Stake (PoS) issuance model is perceived as flawed, presenting an opportunity for improvement that could benefit the long-term health of ethereum.
To improve censorship resistance, the proposal includes mechanisms for the separation between the attester and the proposer, which would further secure the block production process. Additionally, Beam Chain is designed to improve performance by accelerating block time intervals, ultimately leading to faster speed. transaction confirmations.
Plans to transform the future of ethereum
A hallmark of the Beam Chain initiative is its incorporation of zero-knowledge (ZK) consensus, which leverages proofs of succinct non-interactive knowledge arguments (SNARKs).
These cryptographic tools will have a dual purpose: allowing consensus clients to compile high-level languages into bytecode and creating an “infinitely aggregable hash-based post-quantum scheme” that can condense thousands of hashes into a single proof.
Recent advances suggest that users can try more than 2 million hashes per second, indicating that the “SNARKification” of the consensus layer It is feasible even on consumer hardware.
Drake highlighted that if the community supports the proposal, the next steps would involve specification in 2025, development in 2026 and testing in 2027.
The researcher described this strategy as “ossification accelerationism,” with the goal of achieving stability and maturity for ethereum sooner rather than later. “We want ethereum to go into 'maintenance mode' as soon as possible,” he said.
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The proposal has generated considerable interest within the ethereum community, and Drake emphasized the importance of community participation in shaping the future of the consensus layer. He referred to Beam Chain as his “most ambitious initiative to date,” highlighting the need for collaboration to make this vision a reality.
In an exclusive interview with NewsBTC, Professor Christian Cachin of the University of Bern praised the Beam Chain proposal for its potential to solidify the ethereum consensus. roadmap.
Cachin noted that while the planned upgrades involve sophisticated and non-backwards-compatible technologies, they are crucial to improving ethereum's overall scalability and capabilities:
From what I see so far, the proposal concretizes the existing ethereum consensus roadmap and takes the next steps towards a more powerful and scalable ethereum consensus.
At the time of writing, eth was trading at $3,227, up 22% over the week.
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