Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade set for testnet launch in 2024
Ethereum developers tentatively decided on January 17, 2024 for the first testnet deployment of the upcoming “Dencun” upgrade at their latest bi-weekly development meeting on December 21.
The ‘Dencun’ upgrade, originally scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023, was postponed to 2024 due to engineering complexity.
Tim Beiko, head of protocol support at the Ethereum Foundation, noted that the date is not set in stone and could change if major issues arise. The team aims to release a blog post detailing the fork the week of January 8, 2024, giving stakeholders a week to prepare for the update.
Dencun Upgrade Timeline
The meeting presented a draft schedule for the testing phase of the Dencun upgrade.
Following the Goerli testnet on January 17, 2024, the developers plan to run tests on other networks: Sepolia on January 31, 2024, and Holesky on February 7, 2024.
The developers aim to deploy the changes to mainnet by the end of February 2024, if all goes well. However, this date may change depending on the results of the testnet fork.
Dencun will be the first major upgrade to Ethereum since ‘Shapella’ earlier this year. Shapella enabled withdrawals of staked Ethereum (ETH) from the blockchain, which was a significant milestone in itself.
Likewise, a key aspect of the Dencun upgrade is the implementation of “proto-danksharding”. This new process is designed to improve Ethereum’s capacity for data storage, a move expected to scale the blockchain by reducing fees for layer 2 rollups and increasing space for data “chunks.”
By improving data processing capabilities and efficiency, we aim to improve rollup performance and consequently improve the overall throughput and economics of the Ethereum network.
“Layer 3 App Chain”
In addition to the Dencun upgrade, the conference also highlighted collaboration between Avail and StarkWare. This partnership aims to increase data availability for AppChains within the Starknet Layer 2 network. This initiative seeks to leverage Madara, a custom sequencer, to develop an app chain that will operate as a layer 3 solution within the Starknet ecosystem.
Powered by the combined efforts of Avail and StarkWare, this layer 3 app chain aims to revolutionize data availability modes, including validium and Sovereign rollups. This, in turn, helps optimize transaction processing efficiency and finality, which are critical to blockchain scalability.
The developers also touched on Ethereum’s role in the broader context of decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain technology. They reiterated Ethereum’s commitment to maintaining its position as a leader in the field, emphasizing the need for continuous innovation and adaptation to meet the needs of an ever-evolving market.
The conference also provided a platform for developers to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for Ethereum. From solving network congestion issues to improving user experience, developers explored a variety of topics important to Ethereum’s roadmap and user needs.
