Ethereum validators begin signaling another gas limit boost

Over 150,000 Ethereum validators, representing roughly 15% of the network's total, are signaling support for a large increase in the blockchain's block gas limit — a move that could further expand Ethereum's Layer 1 transaction throughput.This is according to data from gaslimit.pics, a dashboard created by Ethereum researcher Toni Wahrstätter. The newly proposed limit boost aims to push Ethereum's gas limit to 60 million units, nearly double the current cap of 36 million.On Ethereum, gas serves as the fundamental unit for measuring the computational effort required to execute transactions or smart contracts. The gas limit represents the maximum amount of gas all transactions can consume within a single block.An increase in the block gas limit allows each block to process more data and enables the network to handle a higher volume of transactions. Unlike major protocol upgrades, this change does not require a hard fork. Validators can adjust their node configurations when proposing blocks. Once more than 50% of validators signal support, the block gas limit adjusts automatically. The gas limit was previously capped at 30 million but was raised to 36 million in February this year. The prior adjustment occurred in 2021, when it doubled from 15 million to 30 million units.While a higher gas limit could improve transaction capacity, some developers caution that raising the limit may strain node operators' hardware and potentially impact network operations.Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.