Ethereum core developers have implemented the Dencun upgrade on Holesky, marking the final Ethereum testnet upgrade ahead of mainnet deployment expected next month.
The Dencun upgrade forked from the Holesky testnet around 6:35 a.m., as confirmed by Nethermind, an Ethereum-running client, and was completed shortly thereafter.
In a phased approach to implementing the upgrade, Dencun was previously deployed to the Goerli testnet on January 17th and to the Sepolia testnet on January 30th. Dencun’s mainnet deployment date is now expected to be set at the Ethereum All Core Developers conference at a later date. Today – expected early to mid-March.
Introduction to proto-danksharding
Dencun combines Ethereum’s Cancun and Deneb upgrades. Cancun aims to improve the execution layer, while Deneb focuses on improving the consensus layer.
Dencun’s key feature, Proto-danksharding (EIP-4844), introduces “blobs” to allow temporary storage and access to large amounts of off-chain data from Ethereum nodes, reducing storage demands. It is designed to significantly lower transaction costs for Ethereum dapps. It is particularly beneficial for layer 2 rollup chains as it facilitates cost-effective and scalable data processing.
Ethereum’s last major upgrade, Shapella, occurred in March 2023. This allows users and validators to withdraw Ethereum staked on the network for the first time.
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