Ethereum is gearing up to introduce the Hoodi testnet, with the Pectra mainnet launch anticipated to take place over 30 days after the successful forking of Hoodi.
The rollout of Pectra on Ethereum’s mainnet is approaching, with a target date set for late April. As part of the preparations for this mainnet launch, Ethereum (ETH) has been conducting tests to assess the integration of its various features on different testnets. The most recent testnet launches occurred on Holesky on February 24 and Sepolia on March 5. Another testnet, Hoodi, is set to be launched on March 17 to evaluate validator exits, as noted by a prominent Ethereum developer. Should the testing on Hoodi go well, Pectra can be unveiled on the mainnet more than 30 days following Hoodi’s successful fork.
One of the significant updates in the Pectra enhancement is the introduction of account abstraction (EIP-7702), which will enable users to settle transaction fees using coins such as USD Coin (USDC) rather than exclusively with ETH. Furthermore, this upgrade will implement Staking Enhancements (EIP-7251), boosting the maximum validator staking limit from 32 to 2048 ETH.
Alongside EIP-7702 and EIP-7251, which are the primary features of the Pectra upgrade, several other noteworthy EIPs include EIP-7691, EIP-7623, EIP-2537, and EIP-7549. EIP-7691 proposes enhancements for transaction scalability and aims to alleviate network congestion. EIP-7623 focuses on improving privacy by allowing users to conceal specific transaction details. EIP-2537 targets the optimization of contract execution, aiming to lower gas costs and enhance the efficiency of smart contract functionalities. Finally, EIP-7549 aims to facilitate better interoperability among various Ethereum layer 2 networks.