Ethereum Foundation Explores Options to Decrease Maximum Block Size of Ethereum

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, along with the Ethereum Foundation, is investigating five possible solutions to decrease Ethereum’s maximum block size.

These approaches are designed to enhance the blockchain for a “rollup-centric roadmap” and improve its overall efficiency.

The emphasis on rollups has necessitated a reevaluation of block space utilization, as the effective block size has increased twofold over the last year.

Enhancing Ethereum’s Block Gas Limit And Call Data Expenses

One of the key suggestions made by Buterin and Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter includes raising the cost of call data and augmenting the block gas limit.

Call data pertains to the information supplied to smart contract function calls and consumes gas, which affects network performance.

By increasing the call data cost from 16 to 42 gas, Ethereum could lower the maximum block size from 1.78 megabytes to 0.68 megabytes, thereby creating room for additional data blobs in the future.

Nonetheless, this strategy may deter the use of call data for data availability, which could impact applications like StarkNet that depend on substantial call data for on-chain proofs.

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Adjusting Call Data And Opcode Expenses

Another possible solution is to increase call data costs while decreasing other opcode costs within the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

This method seeks to maintain equilibrium between encouraging the use of call data for data availability and minimizing the repercussions on applications that rely heavily on it.

Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)-4488 proposes limiting call data per block, but this could similarly dissuade its use for data availability, affecting applications dependent on call data.

Thus, achieving a balanced approach is essential.

Establishing A Calldata Fee Market

An alternative strategy involves creating a distinct call data fee market, akin to the management of data blobs.

This market would automatically modify call data prices based on demand, potentially raising gas limits. However, it adds complexity regarding analysis and execution.

The final suggestion involves offering an “EVM loyalty bonus” to support applications that heavily utilize call data.

This strategy aims to find a balance between promoting the use of call data and addressing its cost-related issues.

These proposals arise as Ethereum confronts the necessity to improve its scalability and network performance.

The incorporation of large data packets, referred to as blobs, with the EIP-4844 Dencun upgrade, further emphasizes the significance of optimizing data management and storage within the Ethereum blockchain.

While increasing the call data cost to 42 gas is one option, it may be viewed as overly simplistic, and establishing separate fee markets could introduce unnecessary complexity into the system.

Finding the appropriate balance between call data costs and other operational expenses or providing incentives for utilizing call data within the EVM may yield more effective solutions.

Vitalik Buterin had earlier proposed call data limits per block to reduce gas costs, underscoring the ongoing efforts within the Ethereum community to tackle these challenges.

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Effects On Network Throughput

Vitalik Buterin suggested increasing the Ethereum gas limit by 33% to 40 million to boost network throughput.

Raising the gas limit allows for more transactions to be processed in each block, theoretically enhancing overall network capacity.

However, it also presents potential risks, such as increased hardware demands and vulnerability to network spam and attacks.

The Ethereum Foundation’s investigation into these solutions reflects a continued commitment to optimizing the performance and scalability of the Ethereum network.

As the blockchain ecosystem evolves and adapts, maintaining the right balance between call data costs, gas limits, and network efficiency remains a primary focus.

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