Ethereum’s upcoming upgrade, Fusaka, is set to go live in early November 2025, focusing on enhancing performance and security aspects rather than introducing new features for users. This upgrade follows the Pectra hard fork and continues Ethereum’s trend of frequent updates to keep the network running smoothly as demand increases.
Fusaka includes 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals aimed at refining core protocol parameters, improving security, and optimizing gas efficiency. One significant proposal, EIP-7825, aims to protect nodes from spammy or harmful messages, while another proposal suggests raising the block gas limit to 150 million to accommodate more transactions in each block.
While Fusaka does not alter smart contract behavior like Pectra did, it aims to make the network more resilient and efficient for client developers and infrastructure providers. Although EIP-7907, which proposed doubling the contract code size limit and introducing new gas metering rules, was initially considered, it was ultimately dropped to avoid testing delays.
Community feedback, like that from Ethereum protocol support member Nixo, emphasizes the importance of timely releases to ensure Fusaka lands before the upcoming Devconnect developer conference. The upgrade process includes a devnet launch for developers to test new code, public testnets for broader community testing, and a mainnet hard fork activation tentatively scheduled for early November.
Fusaka’s key features include a higher gas limit, security enhancements through EIP-7825, and code size and metering adjustments to improve network efficiency. These changes aim to handle more traffic in a safer and more efficient way without significantly impacting smart contract functionality.
Overall, Fusaka represents a significant step towards making Ethereum more competitive with faster chains and layer-2 solutions by increasing capacity and strengthening network defenses. By focusing on performance and security improvements, Fusaka aims to create a more welcoming environment for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, games, and other use cases on the Ethereum network.