Following its successful activation on the Sepolia testnet earlier in October, Ethereum’s major upcoming network upgrade, known as Glamsterdam, is officially pushing forward toward its next deployment milestone. Developers and core contributors have scheduled the upgrade to go live on the Hoodi testnet, marking another critical step in advancing the network’s Layer 1 scaling roadmap. The transition introduces several foundational protocol changes, including enshrined proposer-builder separation, block-level access lists, and a comprehensive overhaul of gas pricing mechanisms designed to accurately capture the true costs of execution and state growth.
According to the finalized deployment schedule, the Glamsterdam network upgrade is set to activate on the Hoodi testnet at epoch 132,352, corresponding to slot 4,235,264. The activation is scheduled to take place precisely on October 26, 2026, at 17:42:48 UTC. Concurrently with this activation epoch, the gas limit on the Hoodi testnet will be significantly increased to 200 million, mirroring the parameters previously established during the Sepolia deployment. While the testnet trajectory is rapidly taking shape, the official activation date for the Ethereum mainnet remains undecided and will be determined by core client teams once rigorous testing across test environments is complete.
In preparation for the upcoming transition, node operators running infrastructure on the Hoodi network must ensure that both their execution layer and consensus layer clients are updated well before the scheduled slot. Compatible client versions are being rolled out across respective release channels, and operators are strongly advised to verify that their chosen software explicitly supports the Glamsterdam activation parameters.
Glamsterdam Overview and Core Protocol Changes
The Glamsterdam upgrade represents a unified effort by combining the Amsterdam execution layer upgrade with the Gloas consensus layer upgrade. At its core, the combined package introduces architectural modifications aimed at alleviating bandwidth bottlenecks and improving execution efficiency. The headlining features of the upgrade are enshrined proposer-builder separation, commonly referred to as ePBS, and block-level access lists, known as BALs. Together, these mechanisms fundamentally alter how blocks are produced, broadcast, and validated across the network, establishing a robust framework for scaling Layer 1 throughput without compromising decentralization or placing undue burdens on node operators.
The implementation of enshrined proposer-builder separation via EIP-7732 formally integrates the division between block proposers and block builders directly into the Ethereum consensus protocol. Under this new protocol design, a block proposer includes a builder’s commitment to an execution payload within the canonical chain, and the builder subsequently reveals the full execution payload in a timely manner. The protocol natively handles the payment mechanics from the builder to the proposer, effectively minimizing reliance on trusted third-party middleware for the exchange. Furthermore, ePBS decouples consensus validation from execution validation, granting network validators additional breathing room and time to thoroughly validate execution payloads. To ensure reliability, a newly established payload timeliness committee will attest to whether the builder successfully revealed its payload and corresponding blob data within the required window.
Enhancing Execution and State Efficiency
Complementing ePBS, block-level access lists introduced through EIP-7928 mandate the inclusion of specific records detailing the accounts and storage locations accessed during a given block, alongside post-transaction state changes. By providing these structured lists upfront, client software gain the ability to read state data from disk in parallel, validate transactions simultaneously, and compute state roots with greater computational efficiency. This structural improvement directly targets some of the most persistent bottlenecks in block processing, providing a sustainable pathway toward higher transaction throughput.
In tandem with structural processing changes, Glamsterdam addresses long-term network sustainability by refining gas accounting rules to better reflect actual resource consumption. Through EIP-8037, the network increases and separately meters the financial and computational cost associated with creating new state, while EIP-8038 updates general state-access costs. Additional modifications span intrinsic transaction gas, calldata handling, access lists, and broader block gas accounting metrics. Application developers and smart contract engineers are encouraged to test their existing contracts and gas estimation logic against these updated parameters, particularly given that contracts relying on fixed gas stipends, hardcoded limits, or outdated resource assumptions may require code modifications.
Developer Tooling, Security, and Client Readiness
Beyond the primary scaling initiatives, the Glamsterdam upgrade packages a variety of developer-facing improvements and consensus-level refinements. The execution environment will benefit from the addition of native Ethereum transfer logs, a dedicated slot-number opcode, an increased maximum contract size limit, a deterministic factory contract, and new instructions designed for streamlined stack manipulation. On the consensus side, updates include forward-compatible data structures, provisions to exclude slashed validators from proposing new blocks, and increased churn limits for validator exits and consolidations.
To ensure the integrity of the upcoming network changes, the Ethereum Bug Bounty Program remains fully active for all Glamsterdam specifications and associated Improvement Proposals. Individual client implementations become eligible for bug bounty rewards as soon as their respective software releases are formally integrated into the network release schedules. Security researchers and developers are encouraged to review the official bug bounty documentation for details regarding reward multipliers and vulnerability reporting guidelines.
With the Hoodi testnet activation firmly anchored for late October and the Sepolia testnet already operating under the upgraded rules, the Ethereum community continues its methodical approach toward protocol evolution. While mainnet timelines remain dependent on the stability and performance observed across test environments, the structured rollout ensures that node operators, stakers, and application developers have ample opportunity to test, adapt, and align their infrastructure with Ethereum’s next major technological leap.
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
