Ethereum developers to test 4x gas limit increase

Ethereum may soon undergo one of its most ambitious updates: core developers are testing the possibility of increasing the network’s gas limit more than fourfold. This potential change is part of the upcoming Fusaka hard fork, expected to be activated by the end of 2025.

EIP-9678 Proposes 150M Gas Limit

During the latest AllCoreDevs call, developers introduced EIP-9678 — a proposal to raise the gas limit to a maximum of 150 million units. For comparison, Ethereum’s current gas limit stands at around 35.95 million, up from 30 million in February 2025, according to Ycharts.

Core developer Tim Beiko commented that while the EIP is somewhat unconventional, it's not unprecedented, referring to EIP-7840 as an example. He said the plan is to finalize the proposal early next week and include it in the upcoming Fusaka upgrade.

Spearheaded by developer Sophia Gold, the team emphasized that the goal is to accelerate L1 execution-layer scaling. Since no new major features are yet being introduced, the update will give client teams time to identify and fix potential issues. That’s why the idea was formalized in an EIP and integrated into the Fusaka roadmap.

Debate Over EVM and Architecture Shifts

Beyond the gas limit, developers also discussed Vitalik Buterin’s recent proposal to migrate Ethereum’s virtual machine to an open RISC-V architecture. This raised concerns about the future relevance of the current EVM Object Format (EOF).

Tim Beiko noted that the community is beginning to recognize that EOF might not be the long-term solution for the Ethereum execution environment. Whether Ethereum moves to RISC-V or another alternative, the discussion must now focus on whether it’s worth continuing investment in EOF.

Meanwhile, the Pectra upgrade is scheduled for May 7. It marks another key milestone in Ethereum’s evolution. Following leadership changes at the Ethereum Foundation earlier this year, the organization has renewed its focus on L1 scalability and user experience.