Ethereum developers have pushed the Glamsterdam upgrade into its final development stage, bringing the network closer to what may become its biggest fork since the 2022 Merge. Ethereum Foundation developer Parithosh Jayanthi said teams are now testing the full set of planned Ethereum Improvement Proposals on private devnets. After that, the process moves to code hardening, public testnets, and preparations for a mainnet release expected in the second half of 2026.
Client teams are already running devnets that include the complete Glamsterdam package. These private environments let developers examine how all protocol changes behave together before the upgrade is exposed to broader testing. Jayanthi also said there is still no final launch date, though progress across the testing process has been substantial.
ePBS sits at the center of the upgrade
One of the main proposals in Glamsterdam is EIP-7732, known as Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation, or ePBS. The proposal moves block-building functions more directly into Ethereum’s protocol instead of leaving the process heavily dependent on outside infrastructure.
That change is intended to reduce reliance on off-chain relays and improve transparency in block production. The proposal also targets concerns linked to maximal extractable value, reshaping how blocks are delivered into the network.
Block-Level Access Lists focus on execution efficiency
Developers are also testing EIP-7928, which introduces Block-Level Access Lists. The feature allows blocks to specify the accounts and contract data they will need before execution begins.
With that information available earlier, Ethereum clients can prepare in advance and process transactions more efficiently. It is a practical change. The goal is clear: make execution smoother and cut wasted resource usage.
Gas repricing changes target resource alignment
Glamsterdam also includes gas repricing adjustments. According to Jayanthi, high-compute operations will become cheaper, while state storage costs will rise. The pricing model is being adjusted to better reflect actual network resource consumption.
The same changes are meant to improve scalability, support newer scaling systems such as zero-knowledge proof systems, and optimize how network resources are used.
After Fusaka, attention shifts to Layer 1 execution
Glamsterdam follows the Fusaka upgrade, which launched in December 2025. Fusaka focused on foundational changes and blob capacity. Glamsterdam shifts the emphasis toward Layer 1 execution, block production, and broader scalability.
Jayanthi described Glamsterdam as “probably the largest fork” since the Merge. For now, development teams are still testing, refining the codebase, and preparing the upgrade for public testnet deployment.