Ethereum has marked a significant milestone in 2025, achieving an impressive total of 1,913,481 transactions on its Layer 1 network in just one day. This surge in activity comes alongside an average transaction fee of only $0.16, showcasing the network”s ability to handle high demand without imposing prohibitive costs on users.
The recent upgrade known as Fusaka, which went live earlier this month, played a pivotal role in expanding Ethereum”s capacity. By increasing the block size by approximately 33%, Fusaka allows a greater number of transactions to be included in each block. This enhancement was crucial for the record-setting transaction volume observed recently.
Fusaka also introduced PeerDAS, a technology that enables nodes to verify data “blobs” by sampling smaller portions rather than requiring a complete download. This innovation has alleviated a longstanding bottleneck in transaction throughput. The blobs, first introduced in the Dencun upgrade and further enhanced by Fusaka, operate as sidecars to main blocks, transporting data efficiently without competing for space with standard transactions.
Another critical upgrade, Pectra, implemented in May, has optimized interactions between Layer 2 systems and Ethereum”s main chain. This upgrade effectively doubled the number of blob sidecars per block from three to six, enhancing the capacity for Layer 2 data submissions. As a result, the costs for networks such as Arbitrum, Optimism, and others to settle on Ethereum have decreased, helping maintain a lower level of congestion even as transaction activity surged.
Despite these advancements, challenges remain in Ethereum”s scaling journey. The ecosystem continues to face fragmentation issues, complicating the movement of funds across different Layer 2 environments without the need for complex bridging solutions. Additionally, the growth of the state database, which includes accounts, balances, and smart contracts, raises concerns about accessibility for average users. If this growth continues unchecked, it could make it increasingly difficult for individuals to operate nodes on standard consumer hardware.
While throughput is on the rise, the balance between scalability and decentralization will be a critical factor in shaping Ethereum”s future. Ongoing efforts will need to address both fragmentation and state bloat as the network evolves.
