Ethereum’s most recent dry run for the Glamsterdam upgrade kept on verifying blocks after implementing fresh block-generation guidelines earlier in the week, successfully passing a critical milestone ahead of an anticipated October 6 launch on the Sepolia test network.
Nethermind, a client software utilized by nodes powering the Ethereum network, followed up on Wednesday by executing a benchmark targeting one of Glamsterdam’s primary modifications.
Its software successfully finished all 2,302 evaluations while handling 570.7 billion gas across a duration of three minutes and fifteen seconds, yielding a rate of roughly 2.9 billion gas per second.
This metric evaluated the performance of Nethermind’s processing engine instead of overall network throughput. The assessment focused on block-level access lists, which inform Ethereum validator nodes regarding which accounts and historical data a specific block will access prior to execution.
Providing this information in advance allows the computers to retrieve necessary data and execute independent transactions simultaneously. Presently, Ethereum performs a large portion of these operations sequentially, which restricts the volume of transactions that can securely fit within a single block.
Shortly after launching on the test network, the Glamsterdam configuration increased the block gas limit from 60 million up to 200 million. Because gas quantifies the computational effort needed for transactions, this expanded ceiling creates additional capacity for standard transfers, token exchanges, and other decentralized activities inside every block.
How that helps Ethereum
A threshold of 200 million would enable Ethereum to absorb higher volumes of activity before participants begin competing aggressively for block space, which can help mitigate extreme gas fee spikes during periods of heavy market activity or viral token mints.
At the same time, larger blocks are more resource-intensive to verify and could potentially prevent smaller operators from participating. The Glamsterdam initiative represents Ethereum’s strategy to secure this expanded throughput without driving up node operating costs excessively.
Under this design, specialized builders aggregate transactions, whereas validators verify the resulting blocks to maintain network security. Glamsterdam aims to integrate this handoff procedure and associated settlements directly into the core protocol rules of Ethereum, diminishing reliance on external relay operators.
Furthermore, this update expands the duration allotted for propagating block data across the network from roughly two seconds to nine seconds. This adjustment grants validators additional time to download and inspect the larger blocks supported by Glamsterdam.
Consequently, the 200 million ceiling remains experimental rather than a guaranteed parameter for the main Ethereum network. Devnet-11 was similarly structured as a controlled testing environment free from deliberate disruption attempts.
Originally published at https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/09/17/ethereum-s-upcoming-glamsterdam-upgrade-clears-rehearsal-for-a-big-jump-in-capacity.
