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Ethereum’s recent gas limit expansion has sparked renewed conversation about the network’s scalability roadmap — and according to Ethereum educator Anthony Sassano, the latest upgrade is only a foundational step. Speaking on the Bankless podcast, Sassano emphasized that the current goal of tripling Ethereum’s gas limit in 2026 is a “minimum,” and ongoing discussions among developers suggest the network could go even further.
Ethereum’s gas limit, which increased from 45 million to 60 million this week, determines how much computational work can fit into each block. This change immediately improves block capacity, potentially lowering congestion and making transactions more efficient. But for developers and researchers, it is only the first phase of a much broader plan.
Ethereum’s Gas Limit Expansion Is Just the Starting Point
During his conversation on Bankless, Sassano explained that the goal to push the gas limit to 180 million over the next year should be viewed as a baseline, not a ceiling.
“I think that’s the floor, that’s the minimum,” he said. “I think we can go higher than that.”
Sassano noted that the development community has reached a general consensus: Ethereum should gradually expand its block capacity over the coming years. Many researchers believe the network can safely support significantly larger blocks as long as improvements in efficiency and infrastructure continue.
Some Ethereum core developers are even discussing the possibility of a fivefold increase in the gas limit, far exceeding current expectations. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is among those who have voiced support for more ambitious changes, proposing new cost structures that would allow the network to scale more effectively.
How Ethereum Could Achieve Higher Gas Limits
A larger gas limit does not automatically solve all scalability challenges, but it enables more transactions and smart contract operations to be processed per block. Sassano explained that the key to reaching higher gas limits lies in repricing transaction types and improving the network’s overall efficiency.
One example he highlighted is the potential reduction of the basic ETH transfer cost from 21,000 gas to just 6,000 gas. A change like this would lower fees for simple transfers and rebalance the cost structure so that more complex operations — particularly those that consume disproportionate computation — would be priced more accurately.
“We’re basically trading efficiencies here,” Sassano said. By adjusting which activities cost more and which cost less, developers can allocate resources more effectively and support higher limits without compromising network health.
Vitalik Buterin has previously suggested that raising costs for inefficient operations would offset the impact of reducing costs for simpler actions. This rebalancing would allow the network to expand safely while still protecting validators from excessive load.
Fusaka Upgrade Set to Improve Scalability
Ethereum’s next major update, known as Fusaka, is scheduled to go live on the mainnet on December 3 after successfully entering the Hoodi testnet. This upgrade will play an important role in laying the groundwork for future gas limit increases.
Sassano and Ethereum core developer Ben Adams recently co-authored an Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) aimed at helping the network support larger limits. The proposal is expected to be included in Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade in the first half of 2026.
The recent jump to a 60 million gas limit was supported by more than 513,000 validators, showing broad agreement among the community. Adams commented on X that increasing the Layer-1 gas limit was once seen as too risky, but improvements in validator performance and network optimization have changed that perspective.
Toni Wahrstätter, another Ethereum core developer, pointed out that the network has already doubled its gas limit in a single year — a sign of increasing confidence in Ethereum’s capacity to scale.
A New Phase for Ethereum’s Scalability Path
The ongoing debate around Ethereum’s gas limit reflects a productive shift in thinking. What was once considered too aggressive is now seen as necessary for supporting Ethereum’s growing activity, from decentralized finance to on-chain applications and smart contract platforms.
While a higher gas limit will not replace Layer-2 scaling solutions, it will complement them. More block space means cheaper transactions, better support for on-chain activity, and an improved experience for users and developers.
With the Fusaka upgrade approaching and developers actively exploring even larger increases, Ethereum is entering a new phase where scalability improvements are becoming both practical and expected.
As Sassano emphasized, tripling the gas limit is simply the beginning — and the network appears ready to go much further.
