Ethereum Confirms December Launch Date for Fusaka Upgrade

Developers finalise December 3 rollout introducing PeerDAS to improve transaction speed and reduce costs across layer-2 networks

Ethereum’s next major upgrade, known as Fusaka, will be activated on December 3 following a successful round of testing this week. Developers agreed on the date during a core team call on Thursday, confirming the network’s latest milestone toward greater scalability and efficiency.

The Fusaka update introduces a new data-sampling method called PeerDAS, designed to reduce the computational load required for processing data from layer-2 chains. The method will expand the “blob” storage system first implemented in the 2024 Dencun upgrade, allowing more transaction data to be handled in each block and lowering costs for users on layer-2 networks.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin described PeerDAS as critical for scaling, noting that the feature could allow rollups to process a far higher number of transactions at minimal cost. By distributing storage and verification responsibilities across nodes, PeerDAS is expected to improve speed and bandwidth efficiency without increasing hardware demands.

Alex Stokes, one of the core developers leading Thursday’s meeting, said the community response had been highly positive. “It’s a really big deal,” he commented, following confirmation of the date.

The update follows earlier upgrades—Dencun and Pectra—that introduced temporary data storage and expanded blob capacity. Fusaka builds on these changes by enabling the network to gradually increase blob limits without requiring a full coordinated hard fork each time.

In addition to PeerDAS, the Fusaka release will implement security and usability adjustments, including transaction size limits, gas cost recalibrations, and new support for passkey-style authentication. These changes aim to improve reliability for validators and developers while making the network more accessible for everyday users.

Ethereum’s price has shown little immediate reaction to the news, with ETH trading around $3,760, down approximately 2% for the week. Market watchers remain divided on the short-term price impact, though many developers view Fusaka as a long-term structural improvement that strengthens the network’s capacity for growth.

The upgrade’s mascot, a zebra, symbolises the striped distribution pattern of PeerDAS data columns—a visual nod to the network’s next step in scaling its global infrastructure.