- Major progress
- More scaling challenges
According to a recent social media post by Etherscan, the Ethereum network processed a record-breaking 1.91 million transactions on Layer 1 (L1) in a single day. At the same time, the fees are incredibly low at $0.16.
This shows that the network can now handle massive traffic without pricing out normal users.
Major progress
This combination of high throughput and low costs is the direct result of two major network upgrades executed in 2025: Pectra and Fusaka.
Fusaka, which went live earlier in the month, is the most immediate cause of the record was the upgrade. This upgrade directly expanded the capacity of the Ethereum L1 blockchain.
The upgrade has managed to increase the size of each block by roughly 33%. This allowed the L1 network to fit significantly more transactions into every block.
Previously, all nodes had to download all data, which created a bottleneck. PeerDAS, a new feature introduced in Fusaka, has made it possible for nodes to verify data “blobs”, large chunks of transaction data, by sampling just tiny parts of them. Blobs, which were introduced in an earlier update called Dencun but expanded here, are like sidecars attached to the main block. They carry data cheaply and don’t compete with standard transactions.
The Pectra upgrade, which took place in May, laid the groundwork for scaling by optimizing how Layer 2 networks of the likes of Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base interact with the main chain.
Pectra doubled the number of these “sidecars” from 3 to 6 per block. Because there was suddenly double the supply of space for Layer 2 data, the cost for L2s to “settle” on Ethereum dropped. This kept the overall network uncongested.
More scaling challenges
Ethereum scaling is still not “finished” despite the massive success of the 2025 upgrades.
The Ethereum ecosystem is still fractured. Users tend to find it challenging to use L2 funds without complicated bridges. Hence, the fragmentation remains a major issue
The database of all accounts, balances, and smart contracts (the “State”) grows larger and larger. Eventually, the State becomes terabytes or petabytes in size. If it gets too big, a normal person can’t buy a hard drive big enough to run a node.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
"Brother Maji" Increases ETH Long Position to 10175 Coins, and Adds New BTC and HYPE Long Positions
Gate News reports that on March 17, according to Hyperinsight monitoring, as the cryptocurrency market rose, "Maji Dage" increased their ETH long position to 10,175 ETH, approximately worth 23.92 million USD, with an unrealized profit of 1.37 million USD. Additionally, this address added 45 BTC and 64,000 HYPE long positions, with the total unrealized profit of the account reaching 1.41 million USD.
GateNews3m ago
A major trader closed a position of 40,000 ETH 2 hours ago, earning a profit of $14.8 million.
On March 17th, on-chain analyst Yu Jin detected a whale trader taking profit on 40,000 ETH after ETH rose 8%, earning $14.8 million. The trader previously opened a long position worth $290 million on Hyperliquid, which has already generated $47.92 million in profits. The trader currently still holds 80,000 ETH and 700 BTC long positions.
GateNews12m ago
3/16 Price Forecast:SPX, DXY,BTC,ETH,BNB, XRP, SOL, DOGE, ADA, HYPE
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) pressed toward a key resistance near $74,508, a level that traders are watching closely for signs of a sustained breakout. The move arrived as on-chain indicators suggested renewed buying interest from mid-sized wallets, with addresses holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC
CryptoBreaking56m ago
Robert Kiyosaki Predicts Bitcoin $750K, Ethereum $95K After Global Financial Crash
Robert Kiyosaki warns a massive asset bubble could soon burst, predicting an unprecedented market collapse that may propel gold, silver, bitcoin, and ethereum to extraordinary valuations within a year of a global financial crisis.
Robert Kiyosaki Expects Bitcoin, Ethereum to Explode After
Coinpedia1h ago