Ethereum applies final phase of Fusaka upgrade… completes adjustment of data processing capacity

The Ethereum network applied the 'Blob Parameters Only (BPO)' fork, the final planned phase of the Fusaka upgrade, completing the work to expand data availability. This move is seen as an example that network processing capacity can be adjusted incrementally without a large-scale hard fork.

On the 7th (local time), The Block reported that Ethereum developers synchronized the second scheduled BPO fork in the Fusaka upgrade cycle to the network. Fusaka was activated in early December last year and introduced the BPO upgrade as a mechanism to gradually expand data availability.

The BPO fork is designed to allow specific network parameters to be adjusted independently without waiting for an annual large-scale upgrade. Ethereum said on its official X account, "The BPO fork allows efficient adjustment of specific figures, such as the blob target," and added, "Gradual expansion is a way to safely test network load."

Blobs are a data structure introduced by the Dencun upgrade in 2024 that help Layer 2 rollups record batched transactions to the mainnet cheaply. This data is stored for 18 days and then permanently deleted, and it serves as a core element composing Ethereum's data availability layer.

With this BPO application, the target blobs per block increased from 10 to 14, and the maximum blobs increased from 15 to 21. The first BPO fork was applied on December 9 last year, adjusting the target blobs from 6 to 10 and the maximum from 9 to 15.

The Ethereum Foundation explained, "As the number of blobs increases, the data availability of Layer 2 networks expands," adding, "Raising the per-block blob limit gradually lowers rollup data costs and can keep Layer 2 transaction fees stable even as activity increases."