Ethereum $2,417 The developers are considering splitting the Pectra upgrade, which is expected to increase the network’s efficiency and scalability, into two phases. The first phase could reportedly be released in early 2025.
Developers Aim for Early Delivery
During the Ethereum execution layer meeting on September 12, a developer stated that if the upgrade is split, the aim is to release the first part as soon as possible, ideally early next year.
“If we split, we want to release the first part of Pectra as soon as possible, early next year,” said one Ethereum developer.
“February seems realistic for a split Pectra,” another developer noted.
“Splitting the fork only makes sense if delivery is planned for the first quarter,” developer Danno Ferrin added.
Splitting the Upgrade Carries Less Risk
It has been suggested that splitting the upgrade in two may be a safer option, as smaller forks generally carry less risk.
The Pectra upgrade combines two separate upgrades: Prague and Electra. The Prague upgrade focuses on changes to the execution layer of the network, while the Electra upgrade affects the consensus layer.
“The current Pectra fork is likely to split due to its complexity and desire to add more to the upgrade,” Galaxy crypto researcher Christine Kim believes.
“The scope of the Pectra upgrade could change dramatically if the developers split the upgrade into two hard forks,” Kim added.
Industry Takes Optimistic Look at Pectra Upgrade
Developers will make the final decision on this matter at the next Ethereum All Core Developers (ACD) call on September 19.
Kim had previously stated on June 7 that the Pectra upgrade was shaping up to be the largest upgrade in Ethereum history.
Ethereum educator Sassal shared a similar view: “Pectra is Ethereum’s next network upgrade, on track to be the biggest upgrade in Ethereum history,” he told his 254,500 X followers.
In April 2024, Cointelegraph reported that Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 3074 was approved for inclusion in the next update. This proposal allows regular crypto wallets to function as smart contracts.
One of the functions of EIP-3074 is to provide smart contract capabilities to standard external accounts (EOA) — ordinary wallets like MetaMask. This enables functions such as transaction packaging, where users only need to sign once, and sponsored transactions, where one wallet can allocate funds for use by another wallet.
The split of the Pectra upgrade presents both opportunities and challenges for the Ethereum community. A faster and less risky upgrade could help the network improve in the short term, while the expansion of scope and increased complexity could impact long-term goals. The decisions developers make will be critical in determining Ethereum’s future scalability and functionality.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not contain investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should carry out their transactions in line with their own research.
