Ethereum is preparing for another major change to its network. The new upgrade, Ethereum Glamsterdam Upgrade, will enhance the way transactions are processed, blocks are created and data is stored on the blockchain as it expands and grows.
The upgrade is crucial given that Ethereum is aiming to scale its Layer 1 network while maintaining security and decentralization. Glamsterdam introduces changes to improve parallel transaction processing, more efficient block building, and to improve the management of Ethereum’s expanding state.
At the moment, Glamsterdam is listed as the next mainnet upgrade for the Ethereum network, planned for Q4 2026, but without a clear date. Next up is the Sepolia testnet fork, which is set to take place on October 6, 2026.
What Does Glamsterdam Mean?
The name Glamsterdam combines two names: Gloas and Amsterdam. Gloas is the consensus-layer part of the upgrade and is named after a star. Amsterdam stands for the execution layer and is named after Amsterdam, which used to be a Devconnect host city.
The two are about different aspects of Ethereum.
The execution layer processes transactions, runs smart contracts, and is responsible for gas calculations, while the consensus layer is responsible for the Proof-of-Stake mechanism of Ethereum.
Glamsterdam brings changes to both layers at the same time. After the enhancements made with Fusaka, the upgrade aims to scale Ethereum’s Layer 1 through the process of how transactions are validated, how blocks are created and how the blocks are verified.
Why Does Ethereum Need Better Transaction Processing?
Ethereum supports a huge range of applications, including decentralized finance, stablecoins, NFTs, blockchain games, and other smart-contract-based services. As activity increases, however, the network needs more capacity.
Today, Ethereum transactions are largely processed sequentially because validators need to determine which parts of the network’s state each transaction will access or change. This creates a bottleneck.
A core mission of Glamsterdam is to get Ethereum ready to handle greater amounts of transactions simultaneously. Thus, the main goal of the upgrade is to pursue three general goals: parallelization, increased capacity, and sustainability of the network.
Block-Level Access Lists Could Enable Parallel Processing
The most significant modification is Block-Level Access Lists (BALs), also known as EIP-7928. Consider BALs as a map indicating which sections of Ethereum’s database the transactions in a block will access.
This information can be provided prior to the completion of transactions. This provides validators with a more accurate understanding of the order in which they have to process transactions that rely on the same data, and which transactions they can process in parallel.
Rather than all transactions passing through a single-lane road like cars, Ethereum could handle unrelated transactions simultaneously.
This can make a significant contribution to processing efficiency.
BALs are also able to assist in synchronization. The access lists include details of the outcomes of state changes, which means that nodes are able to change their state information without having to replay all transactions from the start. This is executionless syncing according to Ethereum.
A networking component called Block Access List Exchange (or EIP-8159) is being developed to do this efficiently.
Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation
One of the other key features is another EIP known as Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS), or EIP-7732.
Ethereum functions as two different types of nodes: block proposers and block builders, but there are components of this process that depend on software and relays that aren’t a direct part of the blockchain.
Glamsterdam would take this relationship to the protocol of Ethereum. ePBS has the following characteristics: builders create execution payloads, and proposers choose blocks. The protocol offers a faster and more trustless way of exchanging the block payload and payment.
The change also adds mechanisms such as dual deadlines and a Payload Timeliness Committee.
These upgrades are meant to remove the pressure that’s imposed by the timing constraints of the current block-validation protocol in Ethereum.
If implemented, Ethereum.org says that ePBS may extend the effective propagation window from “approximately 2 seconds to ~9 seconds”. The extra time may enable Ethereum to process more information without the time stress.
Higher Capacity and a Larger Gas Limit
The changes brought by Glamsterdam aim to enable Ethereum to safely scale the capacity of its network.
The materials have mentioned that the block gas limit will be increased from around 60 million to 200 million, but the implementation and operation parameters are still in testing.
Gas is just a unit that can be used to measure the work needed to perform Ethereum transactions.
In a situation where there is not a lot of space, the users bidding to make use of that space will pay more to make use of it. Expanding capacity may then help to alleviate congestion and, in the case of peak demand, may also decrease the average transaction cost.
But the gas limit can only be increased if Ethereum’s validators and nodes can efficiently handle larger blocks.
Therefore, the parallelization and block-building changes made by Glamsterdam are so crucial. The goal isn’t just to make Ethereum do more work. It’s time to reimagine how that work is done.
Gas Repricing Could Change Transaction Costs
Glamsterdam also has some modifications to the gas pricing system of Ethereum.
One suggestion, EIP-2780, would decrease the intrinsic cost of gas usage in basic transfers of ETH between existing accounts. According to Ethereum.org, such transfers might be up to 71% cheaper.
Other changes increase the cost of gas to more accurately reflect the compute and storage used by various operations.
This is significant as the database of Ethereum keeps expanding.
The long-term costs for node operators may be incurred by creating accounts, deploying contracts, and storing information. Glamsterdam therefore tries to provide a more appropriate fee for some creation and operations of state access.
The aim is to make Ethereum faster — but not to make its database grow out of control.
What might Glamsterdam offer Users?
The upgrade will not necessitate the conversion or upgrade of ETH for just normal Ethereum users.
According to Ethereum.org, when the Ethereum upgrade kicks in, current ETH balances will continue to be accessible, and users won’t have to do anything just because Glamsterdam is activated.
The potential benefits are more indirect
With more congestion relieved on Ethereum, users may be able to enjoy a less congested experience. Basic ETH transfers may become more affordable with lower intrinsic costs. More capacity might also enable more activity of decentralized applications.
It might help developers to have a network with the ability to support more complex applications and greater workload.
The upgrade may also enhance the interoperability of Ethereum with L2s by introducing additional capacity for data as well as making the Ethereum L1 network more efficient.
Glamsterdam Is Still Being Tested
While Glamsterdam is a big upgrade, it hasn’t reached its final stages on Ethereum mainnet yet.
At the time of writing, the upgrade is still undergoing tests on devnets, and will be activated on the Sepolia fork on October 6, 2026, as listed on the Ethereum.org website. No specific activation date has been announced, the mainnet will take place in Q4 2026.
The testing phase is important since Glamsterdam will have major changes to how Ethereum is building and processing blocks.
There have also been recent tests that have emphasized the need to analyze potential failure and/or attack conditions prior to mainnet deployment.
That is one of the reasons to have multiple testnets and client implementations before a hard fork hits the main network in the case of Ethereum.
Final Thoughts
The Glamsterdam upgrade to Ethereum is more than just about accelerating transactions.
It’s part of a larger effort to reengineer Ethereum’s transaction processing, block creation, data management, and scaling of its Layer 1 infrastructure.
Block-Level Access Lists might be able to ready the network for better parallel processing. Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation could eliminate the necessity for outside block-building middleware and permit Ethereum to have more time to disperse bigger blocks. The network could expand capacity as database growth is not unsustainable, thanks to gas and state-pricing changes.
The vision is to allow Ethereum to scale to significantly more activity, without compromising on security or decentralization.