Ethereum developers are energetically preparing for the next significant upgrade to the blockchain, dubbed “Glamsterdam,” following the successful launch of the Fusaka upgrade last month. The Fusaka upgrade primarily focused on reducing operating costs for nodes, allowing developers to shift their focus to upcoming enhancements.
Glamsterdam represents a combination of two critical upgrades occurring simultaneously in Ethereum’s two core layers. The execution layer, responsible for transaction rules and smart contracts, will experience the Amsterdam upgrade, while the consensus layer, which manages validators and finalizes blocks, will undergo the Gloas upgrade.
At the forefront of these improvements is the implementation of enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS), formally designated as EIP-7732. This proposal aims to embed a rule in Ethereum’s core protocol that distinguishes the actors who build blocks from those who propose them. This separation is intended to eliminate the potential for any single entity to control transaction inclusions or their order. Currently, this model heavily relies on off-chain services, known as relays, which introduce centralization risks and trust assumptions.
Under the new ePBS model, block builders will be responsible for assembling blocks and cryptographically sealing their contents. Proposers will select the highest-paying blocks to include without the ability to view or alter the contents beforehand. This design ensures that transaction details are only unveiled after a block has been finalized, thereby minimizing opportunities for manipulation related to maximal extractable value (MEV)—the profits that validators or builders generate through reordering, inserting, or censoring transactions.
In addition to ePBS, another notable proposal for Glamsterdam is Block-level Access Lists (EIP-7928). This under-the-hood enhancement allows blocks to specify in advance which accounts and smart-contract data they will access. By doing so, Ethereum client software can preload and efficiently reuse this data, streamlining block execution processes and making them more predictable and easier to optimize. This change could lead to smoother gas costs and set the stage for future scalability enhancements.
Both ePBS and Block-level Access Lists exemplify Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), which serve as formal outlines for suggested changes to the protocol, acting as the primary coordination tool for Ethereum’s ongoing development.
While the full range of upgrades included in Glamsterdam has yet to be finalized, additional EIPs are expected to be added over the upcoming weeks. Currently, developers have not committed to a specific timeline for the upgrades. However, they have suggested that the implementation might occur sometime in 2026, as planning and coordination continue.
