Ethereum developers agreed to take a phased approach to implementing the highly anticipated “Pectra” upgrade at the latest layer consensus meeting on September 19.
The move comes amid growing concerns about the complexity of the single-release upgrade, which increases the risk of technical issues and bugs. The phased approach will ensure a smoother rollout and reduce the risk of encountering bugs or disruptions to daily network operations.
Originally planned to be Ethereum’s most ambitious hard fork, Pectra will now focus on delivering key improvements in the first phase while giving developers more time to implement additional features in the second.
Phase 1
The first phase of the Pectra upgrade, scheduled to launch in early 2025, will include eight Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). Among them is EIP-7702, which aims to improve the user experience of digital wallets.
Other key changes will focus on improving the efficiency of Ethereum’s network and user interface, allowing for a more targeted implementation. This narrower scope ensures that the initial phase remains manageable and minimizes potential delays.
The developers have carefully selected these improvements to address critical areas of the Ethereum ecosystem while leaving room for further advancements in the second phase.
Phase 2
The second phase, currently under development, will introduce more ambitious upgrades to Ethereum’s infrastructure.
It could include updates to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and the introduction of PeerDAS, a feature designed to improve data availability sampling. PeerDAS is expected to play a critical role in supporting Layer 2 blockchains, which rely on Ethereum for increased scalability and functionality.
As developers continue to refine the scope of the second phase, the phased approach will allow them to focus on implementing the most critical changes first, while ensuring that more complex updates receive the necessary attention and testing.
Splitting the Pectra implementation should help maintain Ethereum’s pace of innovation without compromising network stability.
