Ethereum developers have confirmed major test dates for their much-anticipated Pectra upgrades, bringing their blockchain closer to their first major update in nearly a year.
If planned testing at Holesky and Sepolia Testnets proceeds as expected, developers expect the upgrade to be live on Mainnet in early April.
During all the latest core developer calls, Ethereum's core builders scheduled their first test of Pectra on February 26 at Holesky Testnet, followed by their second exam on March 5th at Sepolia TestNet .
If these tests run smoothly, the developers will be reconvened on March 6th to complete the mainnet activation date. Tim Beiko, the Ethereum Foundation's protocol support lead, has shown that early April is the most likely target.
Expected changes
Pectra, a hybrid of Prague and Electra upgrades, has introduced eight Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at improving wallet functionality and validator efficiency.
One of the most anticipated changes, the EIP-7702, is designed to simplify the user experience by making externally owned accounts, including most crypto wallets, act like smart contracts.
This improvement is part of a broader push towards account abstraction. This is a blockchain trend that seeks to make wallets more flexible by allowing users to pay non-ETH assets and transaction fees.
Another important update, EIP-7251, increases the validator staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. This change is expected to facilitate network congestion by allowing large validators to consolidate operations and reduce the long queues currently required to set up new nodes. Masu.
A challenging landscape
Pectra upgrades occur when Ethereum scrutiny is stepped up amid declining performance against smart contract networks competing with Bitcoin. Rivals like Solana have gained momentum over the last few months, separating attention and talent from the Ethereum ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the Ethereum Foundation has also undergone a major leadership transition, adding more uncertainty about the long-term direction of the project. The foundation has also faced criticism in recent months for selling Ethereum, particularly amidst the market slump.
With Pectra, developers hope to reaffirm Ethereum's dominance as a major smart contract blockchain. If everything goes according to the plan, the upgrade can strengthen Ethereum's technical edge, improve user adoption, and address some of the biggest issues with the network.
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