The "Fusaka" upgrade, which is live today, is being hailed as an even more significant evolution for Ethereum than the previous "Pectra" upgrade—which saw a 50% rally in the price of $ETH.
The core problem Fusaka addresses is the current data congestion on Layer 2 (L2) rollups (like Arbitrum, Base, OP, and zkSync). Currently, to verify the data that rollups send back to the main Ethereum chain, every node must download the entire "blob" file. This process is slow, resource-intensive, and the main reason L2 transaction fees remain high.
Fusaka tackles these challenges with three major improvements:
Massive Increase in Block Capacity (from 45M to 150M gas):This nearly triples the available space on the Ethereum network.
More space directly translates to greater capacity for transactions, smart contracts, and rollup data.
Crucially, this higher activity level is expected to increase the burn rate of ETH, potentially boosting its deflationary nature.
Introducing PeerDAS for Data Verification:This is the key to solving the L2 congestion issue.
Instead of downloading the full, massive blob files, nodes only need to verify random small fragments of the data.
This dramatically reduces the burden on nodes, lowers the operational cost for L2s, and allows the network to handle significantly more data without sacrificing speed.
Implementing Verkle Trees:This technical improvement makes the overall state of the Ethereum network smaller and simpler to verify.
The result is faster node synchronization, lower storage requirements, and a lighter, more sustainable infrastructure for the long term.
What This Means for Everyday Users:
The upgrade is designed to improve the user experience drastically, all without requiring users to take any action:
Faster transaction confirmation.
More stable gas fees, even during high-demand periods.
Cheaper transactions on Layer 2 networks.
Less congestion overall.
In essence, Fusaka simultaneously enhances capacity, lowers costs, speeds up data processing, and strengthens ETH's tokenomics through an increased burn rate. While the market has yet to fully grasp the significance, this upgrade positions Ethereum to be faster, cheaper, lighter, and more scalable starting today.$ETH
