Ethereum developers are preparing for the network’s second upgrade in 2025, which goes live on the blockchain’s mainnet on Wednesday.
Fusaka – a combination of the names Fulu + Osaka – consists of two upgrades occurring simultaneously in Ethereum’s consensus and execution layers.
The goal of the upgrade is to enable Ethereum to handle large-scale transaction throughput from layer 2 chains that use blockchain as the base layer. Fusaka consists of 12 code changes, also known as “Ethereum Improvement Proposals” (EIPs), that make the Layer 2 experience faster and cheaper.
The biggest change in Fusaka is known as PeerDAS, which allows validators to only check segments of data rather than complete “blobs”, easing bandwidth demands and reducing costs for both validators and Layer 2 networks. Layer 2 currently sends thousands of transactions to Ethereum via the “blob,” but validators on the Ethereum blockchain currently have to download all transaction data from the blob to ensure the data is accurate, creating a bottleneck. With this improvement, these validators only need to validate a portion of the blob, speeding up the process and reducing associated transaction fees.
Fusaka not only improves the Layer 2 experience, but also makes improvements that impact Ethereum itself, albeit on a much smaller scale. Changes include a maximum single transaction size aimed at increasing security and some new code aimed at making smart contracts more efficient.
Educational institutions are also increasingly paying attention to this upgrade. Earlier this month, Fidelity Digital Assets released a report calling Fusaka a decisive shift towards a more strategically aligned and economically coherent roadmap.
Read more: Ethereum developer confirms Fusaka upgrade for December 3rd in PeerDAS rollout
