Ethereum core developers have postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, originally set to activate on October 26, after compatibility concerns emerged between EIP-8037's revised gas accounting model and existing mainnet smart contracts. The Ethereum Foundation confirmed the delay, adding that the planned increase of Hoodi's gas limit to 200 million has also been scrapped for now. Node operators are required to update their clients to prevent the fork from activating on the originally scheduled date.
Why it matters
Glamsterdam is the next scheduled hard fork for Ethereum, and a Hoodi testnet delay is a meaningful signal that the EIP-8037 gas accounting changes are more complex to integrate safely than initially assessed. Smart contract compatibility on mainnet is a non-negotiable bar: any gas accounting regression that breaks deployed contracts would be a critical failure, so the caution is warranted even if it introduces schedule uncertainty. The cancellation of the 200M gas limit increase is a secondary but notable setback, as higher gas limits have been a key throughput lever for the network.
Market impact
No new activation dates for either the Hoodi testnet upgrade or mainnet have been announced, leaving the Glamsterdam timeline open-ended. For ETH holders and developers building on Ethereum, the delay extends uncertainty around when the network's next performance and gas efficiency improvements will land. Historically, Ethereum testnet delays have not produced sustained price dislocations, but they do shift developer timelines and can weigh on sentiment in the near term.
Source: [Glamsterdam on Hoodi Postponed — Ethereum Foundation Blog](https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/10/22/glamsterdam-hoodi-delay)
Frequently asked questions
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Why was the Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi postponed?
Ethereum core developers found compatibility concerns between EIP-8037's revised gas accounting changes and existing mainnet smart contracts, requiring further investigation before the upgrade can safely proceed.
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What is EIP-8037 and why does it affect smart contracts?
EIP-8037 introduces changes to Ethereum's gas accounting model. Because gas metering is foundational to how smart contracts execute, alterations to it can interact unpredictably with deployed contracts already live on mainnet.
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What happened to the planned 200 million gas limit increase on Hoodi?
The planned increase of Hoodi's gas limit to 200 million has been canceled alongside the Glamsterdam activation delay. No revised plan for the gas limit increase has been announced.
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What do node operators need to do following this announcement?
Node operators must update their clients to prevent the Glamsterdam fork from activating on the originally scheduled October 26 date, as the Ethereum Foundation has confirmed the delay.
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When will Glamsterdam activate on Hoodi testnet and eventually on mainnet?
No new activation dates for either the Hoodi testnet upgrade or Ethereum mainnet have been determined. The timeline remains open-ended until developers resolve the EIP-8037 compatibility concerns.
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