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Ethereum is showing strong signs of growth as it moves toward greater scalability and efficiency. On Sunday, the network’s gas limit surpassed 37.3 million units—a notable increase of nearly 3% compared to the previous week. This change comes amid growing validator support for a proposed 45 million gas limit, which could further enhance Ethereum’s throughput and reduce transaction costs.
This marks the first major increase in Ethereum’s gas limit since February 2024, when it was raised from 30 million to 36 million units. Gas limits define how much computing power can be used per block, determining how many transactions and smart contracts can be processed. A higher limit means more data can be included in each block, directly increasing the number of transactions Ethereum can handle per second.
Ethereum’s transaction throughput is already showing signs of improvement. According to Chainspect, Ethereum processed close to 18 transactions per second (TPS) over the weekend. That’s a noticeable jump from 15 TPS earlier this year when the last gas limit increase occurred. The improved performance indicates that even modest increases to the gas limit can help the network process more activity with fewer delays.
This momentum comes as part of a broader grassroots effort called “Pump the Gas,” started in March 2024. The campaign aims to raise Ethereum’s gas limit to 45 million units through validator voting. Validators—entities responsible for processing transactions and securing the network—can signal their support for higher gas limits by adjusting block parameters. Each block allows for a minor change of about 0.1% in the gas limit, so coordinated validator action is essential for meaningful progress.
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, highlighted on Sunday that nearly 50% of all staked ETH is now signaling support for this upgrade. Specifically, 47.2% of validators currently back the proposal, according to data from GasLimit.pics. If support continues to grow, Ethereum could see its gas limit hit the 45 million mark in the near future.
Buterin also noted that recent updates to Geth—Ethereum’s most widely used node software—have made scaling safer and more efficient. Improvements in archive node optimization now allow for better handling of higher data loads, reducing the risks associated with increasing gas limits.
Gas, in Ethereum terms, refers to the fee users pay to execute transactions or smart contracts on the blockchain. A higher gas limit means more space per block, which helps alleviate network congestion. In theory, this can lead to lower transaction fees and a better experience for both users and developers working on decentralized applications (dApps).
Meanwhile, Ethereum network activity continues to rise. Daily transactions have increased significantly—from around 1.1 million in April to approximately 1.4 million in July, based on Etherscan data. This uptick in usage has coincided with a major price rally. Over the past month alone, Ether (ETH) has surged by 54%, briefly surpassing $3,800 on Sunday—a seven-month high. This increase appears linked to growing demand from institutional investors, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and corporate treasuries.
The combined growth in validator support, technical improvements, and rising usage suggests Ethereum is well on its way to better scalability. As more validators align with the push toward a 45 million gas limit, users can expect faster, cheaper transactions on Ethereum’s layer-1 network.
In the long run, the success of this scaling effort could further strengthen Ethereum’s position as the leading smart contract platform in the blockchain ecosystem. With stronger performance, increased developer confidence, and robust infrastructure upgrades, Ethereum seems to be gearing up for a new chapter in its evolution—one that focuses on throughput, efficiency, and broader adoption.
