Ethereum is considering a significant increase to its gas limit as outlined in Ethereum Improvement Proposal 9698, filed by researcher Dankrad Feist. The proposal suggests automatically raising the gas limit from the current 36 million units to 3.6 billion units over a four-year period, potentially boosting transaction capacity to about 2,000 transactions per second (TPS) from the current range of 15-20 TPS. This would effectively allow around 6,000 simple transfers per block. The proposed changes are set to be activated around June 1 without requiring a hard fork, which is crucial as Ethereum competes with a growing number of blockchains offering faster settlements and reduced fees. The introduction of a predictable growth pattern aims to enhance sustainability and transparency in gas limit increases, addressing previous challenges related to miner voting mechanisms that often result in stagnation. As EIP-9698 awaits review by client maintainers, its approval could redefine Ethereum’s throughput landscape by 2029.

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