Ethereum's next major network upgrade, Glamsterdam, is moving through devnet planning with a projected mainnet window in the second half of 2026. The upgrade follows Pectra and focuses on scaling the base layer and revamping the block-production pipeline. Two EIPs are at the center of the push: EIP-7732, which enshrines proposer-builder separation, and EIP-7928, which introduces block-level access lists. The headline target — a 200 million gas limit — remains a roadmap goal, not a guaranteed mainnet feature.
Inside the ePBS proposal
EIP-7732, known as enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS), moves the block-building market into the protocol itself. Today, most blocks rely on external relay infrastructure — a setup that creates centralization and censorship risks. By baking PBS into Ethereum's core, the network reduces reliance on those third parties. Developers hope it makes block production more decentralized and less vulnerable to relay failures or censorship pressure.
Block-level access lists
EIP-7928 introduces block-level access lists, a mechanism that lets validators know which storage slots a transaction will touch before they process it. That predictability reduces conflicts and is a stepping stone toward parallel execution — the ability to run multiple transactions at the same time. It's a technical change, but one that could meaningfully boost throughput without asking users to wait longer for confirmations.
The 200 million gas limit target
Glamsterdam's headline ambition is a path to a 200 million gas limit — a big jump from current capacity. That would let the network handle more transactions per block. But the target is still a testing and roadmap goal, not locked in. Developers have warned that aggressive gas limit increases risk weakening decentralization if client and node work doesn't keep pace. The timeline depends on how devnets and testnets perform.
Ethereum upgrades follow a long pipeline: specification, client implementation, devnets, testnets, then mainnet coordination. Glamsterdam is still early in that process. The next concrete milestone will be a multi-client devnet, where teams from Geth, Nethermind, Besu, and others test the EIPs together. No date has been set, but with a projected H2 2026 mainnet window, work is picking up.
