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Ethereum (ETH) could soon cut transaction waiting times in half. A new proposal aims to double the network’s block production speed by 2026, potentially transforming the user experience of the world’s second-largest blockchain.
Core developer Barnabé Monnot has floated Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7782, which would slash the network’s slot time from 12 seconds to 6 seconds. The change targets the upcoming Glamsterdam hard fork scheduled for late 2026.
“Shorter slot times make the confirmation service better, and so have the potential to raise the service price beyond where it is today,” Monnot explained.
The proposal restructures how Ethereum processes transactions. Block proposals would shrink from 4 seconds to 3 seconds, while attestation and aggregation phases would each compress from 4 seconds to 1.5 seconds. This creates a tighter 6-second cycle, doubling block production from 10 to 20 blocks per minute.
Users would see immediate benefits. Wallets could display fresher transaction data, and decentralized applications would update twice as frequently. The change particularly promises to shake up decentralized finance markets.
“Faster slots lead to more liquidity, which means lower trading fees for users and increased network effects for Ethereum,” Monnot wrote in his technical proposal.
Arbitrage traders currently exploit 12-second windows between price updates on Ethereum exchanges. Halving this window could reduce their profits, leaving more value for regular traders and liquidity providers.
The proposal also benefits validators differently. Stakers would receive smaller but more frequent rewards, which would reduce incentives for staking pools and favor solo stakers.
However, slower validators might struggle with tighter timing requirements. Infrastructure tools like block explorers must accommodate both old 12-second and new 6-second timing patterns.
The main technical hurdle involves implementing conditional logic for slot times in existing clients. The chain has run with 12-second slot times since transitioning to proof-of-stake and must maintain this timing when replaying historical blocks.
Real-world precedent exists for faster timing. Gnosis chain currently runs at 5-second slot times, while Nethermind test networks operate at 4 seconds, both using similar architecture to Ethereum’s mainnet.
The Glamsterdam upgrade represents Ethereum’s continued evolution beyond simple scaling. Rather than increasing gas throughput, the proposal focuses on enhancing network responsiveness and improving user experience.
The change would not affect total ETH issuance to validators. This maintains Ethereum’s monetary policy while potentially making the network more attractive for applications requiring quick confirmations.
Implementation remains months away, giving developers time to address technical requirements and test the proposal’s impact on network stability.
