CoinDesk
Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade cleared a key rehearsal on Devnet-11, with Nethermind's execution client passing all 2,302 performance tests while processing 570.7 billion gas in three minutes and 15 seconds. The test ran a 200 million block gas limit, more than three times Ethereum's current 60 million ceiling, and verified block-level access lists designed to let validators process transactions in parallel rather than sequentially. Developers are now targeting October 6 for the Sepolia public testnet deployment, though that date still needs formal confirmation.
Why it matters
The 200M gas ceiling is the headline number, but the access lists are the more consequential change. Block-level access lists give validators advance notice of which accounts and stored data a block will touch, so they can fetch and verify unrelated transactions simultaneously. Ethereum today processes most of that work in sequence, which caps how much activity it can safely fit into each block. Parallel execution breaks that ceiling without requiring every node operator to upgrade hardware.
ePBS, embedded proposer-builder separation, is the other structural piece. Glamsterdam moves the builder-to-validator handoff inside Ethereum's protocol rules, replacing the external relays that MEV-Boost routes through today. That removes a dependency that has been both a centralization vector and a censorship surface since 2022, and lets the network pay builders directly rather than through off-chain agreements.
Market impact
For ETH users, the practical promise is fewer fee spikes during DeFi surges, NFT mints, or popular token launches. A 200M gas ceiling means the chain absorbs more activity before users start outbidding each other for block space, the dynamic that priced retail out of the 2021 ICO wave and the 2023 L2 sequencer crunch.
The capacity comes with a tradeoff: larger blocks are harder to verify, which can push smaller validators off the network. Glamsterdam extends block-data propagation time from about two seconds to nine seconds, giving validators more room to receive and check the bigger payloads.
Frequently asked questions
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What did Glamsterdam's Devnet-11 rehearsal actually test?
Nethermind's execution client processed 570.7 billion gas in three minutes and 15 seconds while running a 200 million block gas limit, and validated block-level access lists designed to enable parallel transaction processing.
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Why are block-level access lists the structural change, not the higher gas limit?
Access lists give validators advance notice of which accounts and stored data a block will touch, so they can fetch and verify unrelated transactions simultaneously. Ethereum today processes most block work sequentially, which caps block capacity.
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What is ePBS and why does it matter?
ePBS moves the builder-to-validator handoff inside Ethereum's protocol rules, replacing the external MEV-Boost relays that route blocks today. It removes a centralization and censorship vector that has been live since 2022.
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Will Ethereum mainnet actually get a 200 million gas limit?
Not yet. The 200M limit is currently a test setting on Devnet-11 rather than a commitment for mainnet. The next milestone is the proposed Oct. 6 Sepolia public testnet deployment, which still needs formal confirmation.
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How does Glamsterdam handle the tradeoff of larger blocks being harder to verify?
The upgrade extends block-data propagation time from about two seconds to nine seconds, giving validators more room to receive and check larger payloads. Even so, smaller validators may still struggle to keep up with bigger blocks.
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