More than a week after rolling out the Shanghai Update, Ethereum developers have set their sights on subsequent code changes that affect both the Execution Layer (EL) and Consensus Layer (CL) of the network.
Ethereum is undergoing a series of updates to improve its scalability, security, and functionality, with the latest update, Shanghai, going live on April 12. Introduced several code changes to the blockchain execution layer to process transactions and smart contracts.
According to Ethereum researcher Christine Kim, Ethereum developers are not resting on their laurels and have already started mapping out the next batch of improvements.
Kim said that the latest All-Core Network Developer Consensus (AC DC), which took place on April 20, was mostly dedicated to their next update, Cancun/Deneb, which they expected to happen later this year after a series of testnets and audits.
Deneb update to improve consensus layer
The Deneb update is a major upgrade to the Ethereum network that aims to improve scalability, security, and usability.
The update consists of two parts: Cancun, which will focus on Ethereum’s execution layer, and Deneb, which will seek to improve its consensus layer: the part of the network that ensures agreement between all nodes on the state of the chain. of blocks.
One of the main features of the Cancun/Deneb update will be the implementation of Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 4844.
This proposal introduces a new type of transaction called blob transactions, designed to enable more efficient data storage and retrieval on Ethereum.
Blob transactions will allow users to store large amounts of data on the blockchain without clogging up the network or paying high fees.
Test and coordinate the implementation of EIP 4844Ethereum developers have been releasing devnets, which are temporary testnets that run the latest code changes.
EIP 4788 and 6914 on the agenda
In addition to EIP 4844, Ethereum developers are considering several other code modifications for the Deneb update.
(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJULkA5YgP4(/embed)
The first is EIP 4788, which will allow trustless access to CL via smart contracts executed on EL. Many expect it to be useful for staking groups, staking protocols, and MEV mitigations, among other applications.
Another enhancement proposal discussed at the 107th ACDC, according to Christine Kim, was EIP 6914, which would allow reusing index numbers belonging to validators that had gone off-net and not been active for some time.
The developers hope that this EIP will help reduce the endless growth in the validator list as validators leave and new ones join the network. However, some believe that the complexity of EIP 6914 justifies pushing the code change to the next fork after Deneb.
