Over 50% of Ethereum (ETH-USD) validators have now backed raising the network’s gas limit, signaling the first increase since the Merge upgrade, according to Gaslimit.pics. This move would allow for more transactions per block and potentially lower fees. But, as with most things in crypto, not everyone is thrilled.
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Validators Approve Gas Increase
Validators crossed the 52% support threshold on Feb. 4, paving the way for an increase in the gas limit without a hard fork. Ethereum researcher Evan Van Ness noted this milestone was harder to coordinate under proof-of-stake. The limit, which has hovered around 30 million since 2021, is already creeping up past 33 million, according to Blockscout data.
Why the Gas Debate is Heating Up
Proponents like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin emphasize scalability. Buterin mentioned the upcoming Pectra fork in March, which will double Ethereum’s layer-2 blob target and use a similar staker-vote mechanism. Advocates argue more capacity is crucial for innovation. Developer Justin Drake even posted that he’d already set his validator for a 36 million gas limit.
However, critics, including Ethereum Foundation’s Toni Wahrstätter, caution that pushing the limit too high could destabilize the network, leading to validator failures. The “Pump The Gas” initiative acknowledges these risks but supports incremental increases over time.
With validators now in agreement, Ethereum’s next growth phase seems locked and loaded. At the time of writing, Ether is sitting at $2,828.80.
