Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko announced today that the Pectra upgrade will move forward with key testnet forks in February and March, setting the stage for the upgrade’s eventual deployment on the Ethereum mainnet.
Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Inches Closer: Core Developer Announces Key Dates for Testnet Forks
This article was published more than a year ago. Some information may no longer be current.
WRITTEN BY
SHARE
Ether’s Pectra Upgrade Nears
According to Beiko’s post on X, the Holesky testnet will fork at slot 3,710,976 on Feb. 24 at 21:55:12 UTC, followed by the Sepolia testnet at slot 7,118,848 on March 5 at 07:29:36 UTC. He added, “Assuming Sepolia goes smoothly, we’ll pick the Mainnet slot on the March 6 ACD call.” These testnet forks will serve as critical steps in evaluating the upgrade before its full activation on the Ethereum network.
Pectra is a major Ethereum hard fork that merges two previously separate upgrades—Prague for the execution layer and Electra for the consensus layer. This upgrade aims to improve scalability, reduce costs, and enhance the overall user experience. Among its key changes, Pectra will introduce “blob spaces” to optimize data storage and lower transaction fees, PeerDAS technology to improve layer two ( L2) scalability, and Verkle Trees for more efficient data handling.
The upgrade also brings significant modifications to Ethereum staking, increasing the maximum stakeable ETH from 32 to 2,048 ETH. This change is designed to make staking more accessible and rewarding. Another notable feature is Account Abstraction, allowing users to pay gas fees using tokens other than ETH, such as USDC or DAI, and enabling third-party sponsorship of fees.
Pectra is planned in two phases, with the first phase in 2025 introducing user-friendly improvements and validator enhancements. The second phase, expected in 2026, will focus on deeper technical changes such as the Ethereum Virtual Machine Object Format (EOF) and additional scalability solutions.
With Holesky and Sepolia set to undergo the Pectra upgrade in the coming weeks, the Ethereum community will be watching closely to see how the testnets perform. If both forks proceed without issues, the mainnet deployment date is expected to be determined during the March 6 developer call.
