Ethereum could see a significant leap in transaction capacity if a new proposal by Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist is adopted.
Feist introduced Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 9698 on April 27, aiming to increase the network’s gas limit by 100 times over the next two years, potentially enabling the Ethereum mainnet to handle up to 2,000 transactions per second (TPS).
The proposal outlines a “deterministic gas limit growth schedule,” set to begin around June 1 at epoch 369017.
Ethereum Proposal Plans 100x Gas Limit Increase Over Two Years
Under this plan, the gas limit would grow tenfold gradually over approximately 164,250 epochs (about two years), followed by a final tenfold increase.
This structured approach, Feist argues, would ensure a transparent and sustainable path for scaling, aligned with ongoing improvements in hardware and protocol efficiency.
Currently, Ethereum’s gas limit stands at 36 million, following a recent increase from 30 million in February.
Feist’s EIP suggests expanding this to 3.6 billion, allowing for roughly 6,000 transactions per block — a significant jump from today’s capacity.
At present, Ethereum processes up to 20 TPS during periods dominated by simple transactions.
If implemented, this proposal could position Ethereum to better compete with high-throughput blockchains like Solana, which averages between 800 and 1,050 TPS, with a theoretical maximum of 65,000 TPS.
However, Feist acknowledged potential challenges, noting that such rapid gas limit growth could strain under-optimized nodes and lead to longer block propagation times.
Still, he emphasized that the gradual, epoch-based increases would give developers and node operators sufficient time to adjust.
EIP-9698 is part of Ethereum’s broader push to enhance base-layer scalability, following years of reliance on layer-2 solutions.
Critics argue that this layer-2 strategy has fragmented the ecosystem, creating isolated chains and complicating user experience due to limited interoperability.
Meanwhile, Ethereum developers are also preparing for the Fusaka hard fork, which could test a fourfold gas limit increase under EIP-9678, potentially launching in late 2025.
Before that, the Pectra upgrade is scheduled to go live in May, marking another step in Ethereum’s ongoing evolution.
Ethereum Has ‘Huge Opportunity’ to Fix AI’s Centralization Problem
Ethereum could play a key role in solving some of the most pressing problems facing artificial intelligence, according to Eric Connor, a former core developer of the blockchain.
Earlier this month, Connor said Ethereum’s “biggest mainstream moment” could come through its integration with AI, as the sector struggles with centralization, opaque algorithms, and growing privacy concerns.
“AI is plagued by black-box models, centralized data silos, and privacy pitfalls,” Connor noted, adding that Ethereum is uniquely positioned to address these issues.
Last month, crypto venture capitalist Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures pointed to two key issues undermining Ether’s value: the rise of layer-2 (L2) scaling networks and unchecked token issuance.
He argued that “greedy Eth L2s” are siphoning off value from Ethereum’s base layer while giving little back.
He also criticized the Ethereum community’s acceptance of excessive token creation, claiming that “ETH was buried in an avalanche of its own tokens. Died by its own hand.”
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