Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade nears final stage before October testnet
Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade is entering its final development phase, with a Sepolia testnet fork planned for October 6, 2026 and a mainnet launch expected in the fourth quarter. The upgrade centers on parallel processing, faster syncing through snap v2, and reducing database bloat, and includes EIP-7928 block-level access lists. A later Hegota fork may be Ethereum's last conventional hard fork before a move toward recursive STARKs and quantum-safe consensus.
Toni Wahrstätter of the Ethereum Foundation has described Glamsterdam, which includes EIP-7928 block-level access lists, as nearing its last development stretch. Devnet testing is ongoing, and a Sepolia fork is set for October 6, 2026, giving developers a public rehearsal before any mainnet release.
The upgrade targets three areas: parallel transaction processing, simpler and faster syncing with snap v2, and limiting database growth. A mainnet rollout is expected in Q4 2026, though no official date exists. Vitalik Buterin has suggested the fork after next year's Hegota could be Ethereum's final conventional hard fork, preceding recursive STARKs and quantum-safe consensus.
If Glamsterdam reaches mainnet, users, validators, developers, and node operators could see faster processing and easier home node operation. Lower database growth may reduce hardware burdens, potentially broadening participation. Businesses and payment systems may benefit from improved capacity, though delays or bugs could affect confidence. The longer-term cryptographic shift may influence security expectations, but outcomes remain uncertain.