Ethereum Co-Founder Highlights PeerDAS as Breakthrough for Data Availability Scaling

• The Ethereum Fusaka upgrade will allow nodes to verify blockchain data without downloading the full dataset, improving Layer-2 and eventually Layer-1 scalability.
• Fusaka will double the blob capacity from six and nine per block, with subsequent BPO forks in January gradually raising the maximum to 21 blobs per block.

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The recent surge in blob usage on the Ethereum network, mainly driven by Layer-2 platforms such as Coinbase’s Base, and Worldcoin. Commenting on this, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said that the Fusaka upgrade will majorly fix this issue. He said that the upgrade, scheduled for December, will allow nodes to verify data availability, without the need to download blockchain data.

Blobs, or Binary Large Objects, were introduced to Ethereum in the Dencun upgrade in March 2024 through EIP-4844. They are designed to reduce transaction costs for Layer-2 rollups by providing specialized data storage

Ethereum Fusaka Upgrade Will Feature PeerDAS for L2 Scaling

In his message on the X platform, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined details of the Fusaka upgrade aimed at addressing data availability constraints on the blockchain. Central to the upgrade is a feature called PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling), which Buterin described as “the key to L2 scaling, and eventually L1 scaling.”

PeerDAS introduces a novel approach where nodes no longer need to download the full blockchain. Instead, each node downloads small “chunks” of data and uses statistical sampling to verify that the full dataset exists across the network. This method aims at improving efficiency while maintaining security and data integrity. Buterin wrote:

Originally proposed in Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7594 in January 2024, PeerDAS ensures that blob data is available without requiring nodes to process the complete dataset. According to the EIP, enhanced data availability is crucial for scaling Ethereum. This is particularly true for Layer 2 systems known as “rollups,” which are currently limited by Layer 1 data constraints.

Vitalik Buterin has been very confident in Ethereum’s ability to handle data storage issues. Last week, Buterin also dismissed the calls for “state expiry” to overcome the blockchain’s storage burden, while instead recommending a scalable alternative, as mentioned in our previous story.

Fusaka Will Double the Blob Targets

Hildebert Moulié, head of data at Dragonfly, noted that the network reached its six blobs per block target for the first time on Wednesday, September 24. Moulié attributed the spike in blob usage largely to Coinbase’s Layer-2 network, Base, and Worldcoin. As of now, Base and Worldcoin alone occupy a massive 42% and 25% of the blobspace, respectively.

The upcoming Fusaka upgrade, scheduled for December 3, will implement EIP-7594 and double the blob capacity from the current target and maximum of six and nine per block, respectively. Buterin emphasized the need for careful testing, noting that “this is all new technology” despite years of development.

He explained that the initial increase in blob count will be conservative, with more aggressive expansions over time, significantly boosting Ethereum’s scalability. After Fusaka, two Blob Parameter Only (BPO) forks are planned to gradually raise the maximum blob capacity—first from nine to 15, and a second fork in January will increase the ceiling to 21.

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