Ethereum Core Developers Set Electra Upgrade, Plan Dencun Activation

Ethereum All Core Developers Consensus Call #128 outlines Electra upgrade, Dencun activation, reward adjustments, and minor customer support improvements for March 13, 2024, promoting the network economy and continuous improvement.

At a meeting on February 22, 2024, the core developers of Ethereum Held their 128th All Core Developer Consensus Talk (ACDC). The biweekly meeting, chaired by Danny Ryan, researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, serves as a collaborative platform to discuss and plan changes to the network’s consensus layer.

Electra upgrade plans

The focus of the meeting was the Electra upgrade, a concerted effort to advance the Ethereum infrastructure. Three Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) were agreed upon for inclusion: EIP 6110, designed to provide validating on-chain deposits; EIP 7002 facilitating execution layer trigger outputs; and EIP 7549, which aims to separate the commission’s index from the attestations. The developers also addressed EIP 7547 related to the include lists that could be included in the Electra upgrade if it met the criteria for easy implementation.

Upcoming Dencun upgrade

All Ethereum clients except the Lodestar client have released their final versions in preparation for the Dencun upgrade. Ethereum Foundation DevOps Engineer, Paritosh Jayanthi, announced the successful launch of the final mainnet shadow fork for Dencun, signaling a stable transition. With the mainnet activation date announced for March 13, 2024, developers are confident of a smooth rollout, further supported by the Flashbots team’s planned release of a Dencun-ready MEV-Boost software update.

Debate on emission curve correction

The meeting also featured a proposal from EF researcher Ansgar Dietrichs calling for a 30% reduction in the issuance of betting awards. This recommendation stems from concerns about the impact of a high staking ratio on network load, dilution of ETH value, and reliance on third-party security protocols. While the technical implementation of the proposal is straightforward, its ramifications require extensive community discussion.

Improved Light Client compatibility

The call highlighted Etan Kissling’s proposal to update the execution layer serialization formats to Simple Serialize (SSZ), aligning with the consensus layer and supporting lightweight client development. This initiative is vital for nodes running on minimal computing resources, providing a more inclusive and efficient network.

Conclusion

Calling ACDC #128 signifies a proactive approach to Ethereum development, with the Electra upgrade shaping up to be a critical milestone. Discussions around emission curve adjustments highlight the community’s focus on a sustainable and efficient grid economy. As Ethereum continues to evolve, these upgrades and offerings are set to improve its infrastructure, ensuring its long-term viability as a leading blockchain platform.

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