This new Ethereum Improvement Proposal plans to raise the network’s gas limit 100 times over the next four years. If it is implemented, it can take Ethereum’s transaction speed to around 2,000 transactions per second (TPS).
Right now, Ethereum handles about 14-20 TPS, far behind rivals like Solana, which often records 800 TPS and can go even higher. Under EIP-9698, Ethereum gas limit would eventually rise to 3.6 billion, allowing much larger transaction blocks.
Feist’s proposal calls for a gradual, steady increase in the gas limit starting from epoch 369017 on June 1. The limit would grow a little at each epoch, hitting a 10x increase roughly every two years. After four years, the network would be ready for much greater demand without sudden shocks.
Importantly, the change would be non-consensus and fully backward compatible. Clients that do not update would still work, just with older settings. Manual options would remain available for users wanting more control.
However, Feist also warned that weaker nodes might face some pressure as the limit rises.
Depending on its implementation, EIP-9698 could help Ethereum close the performance gap with other, faster blockchains.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade, set for next week, will bring additional improvements in fees, validator flexibility, and data storage efficiency.
