Ethereum will activate its next upgrade, 'Glamsterdam' (Glamsterdam), on the Hoodi testnet on the 27th (local time). The timing for applying it to the mainnet has not yet been decided.

CoinPost, a blockchain media outlet, reported on the 21st that the Ethereum Foundation will apply Glamsterdam on the 27th at epoch 132,352 and slot 4,235,264.

This rollout is a follow-up step after the Sepolia testnet went live on Oct. 6. Glamsterdam is part of a roadmap to increase processing capacity on Ethereum’s main layer, L1, and is intended to expand throughput by changing how blocks are created and validated.

One key change is ePBS (EIP-7732). This structure separates, at the protocol level, the entity that proposes a block from the builder that actually constructs the block. The Ethereum Foundation explained that it aims to reduce reliance on intermediary software that assumes trust in interactions between the two sides.

Another pillar is BAL (EIP-7928), a block-level access list. BAL is designed to record the accounts and storage locations used in a block so clients can perform state reads and transaction validation in parallel. The Ethereum Foundation sees this structural change as a basis for scaling throughput.

The gas accounting system will also change. EIP-8037 will be introduced to separately measure costs by raising the creation cost of state data that nodes must keep, and EIP-8038, which adjusts data access costs, will also be reflected. As a result, the Hoodi testnet will raise its gas limit to 200 million at the same time as the upgrade.

The upgrade also requires node operators to respond. Node operators must update both execution-layer and consensus-layer clients. Client versions that support Hoodi will be added to the release list as they are confirmed.

Application developers will also be affected. As the new gas rules are applied, they must recheck smart contracts and gas estimates. In particular, contracts that rely on fixed gas stipends or fixed gas limits may need modification.

This upgrade is closer to reworking Ethereum’s processing structure than simply adding features. As validation proceeds on Hoodi following Sepolia, the scope of checks before mainnet adoption has broadened. For now, however, a mainnet launch date has not been set, leaving testnet results and developer readiness as variables for the subsequent schedule.

Separately, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin (비탈릭 부테린) presented an idea that Ethereum could evolve into a 'cryptographic world computer' in 2030. Against this backdrop, Glamsterdam is taking shape as the next testbed for adjusting the block creation structure and the cost system for state processing.