Ethereum Raises Block Gas Limit to 45 Million

Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain by market capitalization, has increased its gas limit to 45 million units, marking a 25% rise from the previous limit of 36 million set in February 2025. This increase was favored by nearly 50% of validators, representing around 500,000 staked ETH addresses, and was implemented at block number 22,968,004. This adjustment, driven by widespread community backing, aims to boost the network's transaction processing capacity. The gas limit, which restricts the computational work allowed per block, directly influences how many transactions and smart contracts can be executed simultaneously. Raising the block gas limit allows each block to accommodate more data, thereby enabling the network to handle a higher volume of transactions. Unlike significant protocol upgrades, this adjustment does not necessitate a hard fork. Validators can modify their node settings to propose blocks; once over half of them show support, the gas limit is automatically adjusted. Previously, the limit was capped at 30 million before being raised to 36 million in February. The last change before this was in 2021 when the limit doubled from 15 million to 30 million units. The current push to reach 45 million is part of Ethereum's broader scaling plan, with future ambitions targeting a 60 million block gas limit shortly and ultimately aiming for 150 million gas per block, possibly achievable through the upcoming Fusaka hard fork via Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7935. To address potential risks, developers have implemented safeguards like EIP-7983, which limits individual transaction gas usage to 16.77 million units to avert denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and maintain network stability. Disclaimer: The Block is an independent news outlet providing information and analysis. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a primary investor in The Block, which continues to operate independently. This article is presented for informational purposes and not intended as financial, legal, or investment advice.