A new proposal by Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist has the potential to significantly enhance transaction capacity on Ethereum.
On April 27, Feist presented Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 9698, which aims to increase the network’s gas limit one hundredfold within the next two years. This change could allow the Ethereum mainnet to process as many as 2,000 transactions per second (TPS).
The proposal includes a “deterministic gas limit growth schedule” that is expected to start around June 1, at epoch 369017.
Ethereum Proposal Plans 100x Gas Limit Increase Over Two Years
According to this plan, the gas limit would progressively increase tenfold over approximately 164,250 epochs (about two years), followed by an additional tenfold boost.
Feist argues that this systematic growth model will provide a clear and sustainable strategy for scaling, in line with ongoing advancements in hardware and protocol efficiency.
The current gas limit for Ethereum is 36 million, which was recently raised from 30 million in February.
Feist’s proposal suggests expanding this limit to 3.6 billion, which would enable around 6,000 transactions per block — a notable improvement from the current capacity.
Currently, Ethereum can handle up to 20 TPS during periods with mainly simple transactions.
If this proposal is implemented, Ethereum could become more competitive with high-throughput blockchains like Solana, which typically manages between 800 and 1,050 TPS, with a theoretical max of 65,000 TPS.
However, Feist noted some possible challenges, as rapid gas limit increases might burden under-prepared nodes and extend block propagation times. Nonetheless, he emphasized that the steady, epoch-based increases would provide developers and node operators ample time to adapt.
EIP-9698 is part of a larger effort by Ethereum to improve base-layer scalability after years of relying on layer-2 solutions.
Critics argue that this layer-2 approach has fragmented the ecosystem, resulting in isolated chains and complicating user interactions due to limited compatibility.
In the meantime, Ethereum developers are also gearing up for the Fusaka hard fork, which may test a fourfold gas limit increase under EIP-9678, likely launching in late 2025.
Before that, the Pectra upgrade is set to go live in May, representing another step in Ethereum’s ongoing development.
Ethereum Has ‘Huge Opportunity’ to Fix AI’s Centralization Problem
Ethereum might play a crucial role in addressing significant challenges within the field of artificial intelligence, according to Eric Connor, a former core developer of the blockchain.
Earlier this month, Connor suggested that Ethereum’s “biggest mainstream moment” could arise from its integration with AI, as the field grapples with issues of centralization, opaque algorithms, and growing privacy concerns.
“AI is riddled with black-box models, centralized data silos, and privacy issues,” Connor remarked, adding that Ethereum has a unique position to tackle these challenges.
Last month, crypto venture capitalist Nic Carter from Castle Island Ventures pointed out two major factors undermining Ether’s value: the emergence of layer-2 (L2) scaling solutions and uncontrolled token issuance.
He claimed that “greedy Eth L2s” are extracting value from Ethereum’s core layer without offering much in return.
He also criticized the Ethereum community for its acceptance of excessive token generation, arguing that “ETH has been buried under an avalanche of its own tokens. It was harmed by its own actions.”
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