Ethereum Deploys Major 'Pectra' Upgrade with 11 EIPs, Ushering in Next Phase of Network Evolution

07. May 2025 Posted by Bakshi A. on News

Ethereum’s long-anticipated Pectra upgrade has officially gone live on the mainnet, marking the network’s most substantial overhaul since the historic 2022 Merge. Activated at epoch 364032 at approximately 6:05 a.m. ET, Pectra introduces the highest number of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) ever included in a single upgrade, delivering sweeping improvements across staking, validator efficiency, user experience, and Layer 2 scalability.

From Testnet Trials to Mainnet Triumph

Before today’s launch, Pectra underwent thorough testing across Holesky, Sepolia, and Hoodi testnets. While the journey wasn’t without its snags — including configuration issues on Holesky — a successful rollout on the Hoodi testnet in March 2025 laid the foundation for the upgrade’s mainnet debut.

Pectra builds on the Dencun upgrade (March 2024), which introduced proto-danksharding (EIP-4844). With 11 EIPs implemented, Pectra targets key inefficiencies and paves the way for upcoming upgrades like Fusaka, which aims to bring Verkle Trees and PeerDAS for advanced scalability.

Major EIPs in the Pectra Upgrade

🔐 EIP-7702: Smarter Wallets with Temporary Contract Logic

Co-designed with input from Vitalik Buterin, this EIP edges Ethereum closer to full account abstraction. It allows user wallets to behave like smart contracts temporarily, enabling features like gasless transactions (with dApps covering the fees), bundled operations, and social recovery mechanisms for lost keys.

🌐 EIP-7251: Raising the Validator Cap to 2,048 ETH

Stakers can now consolidate holdings, increasing their validator limits from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. This simplifies operations for larger staking entities by reducing node count and bandwidth requirements. However, some community members caution this could lead to greater centralization of staking power.

⚡ EIP-7691: Doubling Data Throughput for Layer 2

To improve Layer 2 efficiency, this proposal doubles blob throughput (from 3/6 to 6/9 per block). Blobs are temporary data chunks used by rollups like Arbitrum and Optimism. By expanding blob capacity, transaction costs are expected to drop significantly, benefiting both developers and users.

🔄 EIP-7002: Simplifying Validator Exits via Execution Layer

This change lets validator exits be triggered through the execution layer rather than relying on consensus-layer “hot” keys. By reducing exposure to attack-prone online keys, EIP-7002 enhances security and flexibility for validator operations.

🧠 EIP-2935: On-Chain Access to Block History

EIP-2935 enables smart contracts to access recent block hashes directly from state, improving decentralized oracle systems, cross-chain messaging, and data verification without relying on third-party APIs.

🚀 EIP-6110: 13-Minute Validator Onboarding

Validator onboarding, which previously took up to 12 hours, is now processed through the execution layer, reducing wait times to approximately 13 minutes. This streamlines entry for solo stakers and staking services alike.

Supporting EIPs for Optimization

  • EIP-7623 increases calldata costs, nudging developers toward more efficient blob storage for rollups.

  • EIP-2537 adds cryptographic precompiles, lowering gas fees for complex verifications.

  • EIP-7685 introduces a cleaner framework for validator deposit and exit operations.

  • EIP-7549 improves validator sync and consensus logic.

  • EIP-7840 adds a fee adjustment mechanism for blob usage, helping Layer 2 networks stabilize their transaction costs.

What’s Next for Ethereum?

With Pectra now live, Ethereum takes a giant leap toward scalability and usability. While the changes benefit both everyday users and institutional validators, they also prepare the chain for next-gen infrastructure upgrades like Fusaka.

As Ethereum continues to evolve, Pectra underscores a consistent focus: making the network more accessible, secure, and scalable — all while keeping decentralization intact.