ACDE #198: 2 New EIPs Proposed For Pectra

In this episode of the Infinite Jungle, the discussion centers on Ethereum core developers' execution call number 198, which reviewed two new EIPs proposed for the upcoming Pectra upgrade. The first proposal, EIP 7782 by NetherMind developer Ben Adams, suggests reducing the slot time from 12 to 8 seconds, potentially increasing transaction throughput by 50% and reducing confirmation speeds by 33%. However, concerns about increased state growth and disruptions to applications relying on the current block time were raised, along with the risk of intensifying competition in the MEV landscape.

The second proposal, EIP 7783 by Aragon developer Julio Rubuffo, aims to gradually increase the gas target on Ethereum, allowing for larger block sizes without necessitating a hard fork. While there is general support for this EIP, the specifics of the gas target increase are still under discussion. Despite the innovative nature of these proposals, neither is likely to be included in Pectra, as developers are prioritizing blob throughput improvements.

The timeline for Pectra remains stable, with developers nearing completion of DevNet 3 and planning to launch DevNet 4 by October 17, which is essential for creating a public Pectra testnet ahead of the upcoming DevCon in Bangkok. Ongoing discussions about the pricing of new BLS precompiles highlight the complexities of integrating advanced cryptographic features into Ethereum applications.

As debugging progresses in DevNet 5, developers will need to finalize the scope of the Pectra upgrade and the inclusion of blob-related EIPs, likely requiring one to two additional DevNets for thorough testing. By December, discussions will focus on finalizing the scope and planning for new code changes, with subsequent DevNets expected in January. By March, developers aim to update the public Ethereum testnets with the final specifications of the Pectra upgrade, providing clearer timelines for the Mainnet launch. The episode emphasizes the innovative approaches being explored to enhance Ethereum's scalability as both a data availability layer and an execution layer.