Ethereum developers have completed another important rehearsal for the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade, successfully confirming blocks under the new block-building rules as preparations continue for a proposed Oct. 6 deployment on the Sepolia public testnet.

The latest test also pushed the network’s block gas limit toward 200 million, giving developers an early look at how Ethereum could handle substantially more activity per block.

Nethermind, an Ethereum client used by node operators, separately completed a performance test Wednesday focused on one of Glamsterdam’s central technical changes.

The client passed all 2,302 tests and processed 570.7 billion gas in 3 minutes and 15 seconds. That equates to an average throughput of approximately 2.9 billion gas per second.

The result measures the performance of Nethermind’s execution software rather than the throughput of Ethereum’s entire network. The benchmark focused on block-level access lists, which tell Ethereum clients in advance which accounts and storage data a block will need.

Having that information beforehand allows clients to fetch required data and process unrelated transactions concurrently. Much of this work is currently handled sequentially, which limits how much activity can be included safely in each block.

Higher Gas Limit Tests Ethereum’s Capacity

Glamsterdam raised the block gas limit from 60 million to 200 million roughly an hour after the testnet became operational.

Gas represents the computing resources required to execute transactions. Increasing the limit gives each block more room for payments, token swaps and other network activity.

If eventually adopted, a 200 million gas limit could allow Ethereum to handle greater transaction demand before users have to compete heavily for block space. That could help moderate fee spikes during periods of intense trading or major token launches.

The increase also introduces a technical challenge. Larger blocks require more resources to process and verify, which could make it more difficult for smaller operators to remain synchronized with the chain. Glamsterdam is intended to increase capacity while keeping the network practical to operate.

Upgrade Changes How Blocks Move Through Ethereum

Ethereum’s current architecture uses specialized builders to assemble transactions into blocks, while validators verify those blocks and secure the network.

Glamsterdam would incorporate the builder-to-validator handoff and related payments into Ethereum’s protocol rules. The change could reduce the network’s reliance on external relay services.

The upgrade would also extend the window for distributing block data across Ethereum from roughly two seconds to nine seconds. Validators would have additional time to receive and verify larger blocks.

The 200 million gas setting is still part of the testing process and is not a confirmed mainnet limit. Devnet-11 was also run under controlled conditions and did not include deliberate attacks.

Developers are targeting Oct. 6 for the Glamsterdam deployment on Sepolia. The public testnet will allow application teams to test compatibility with the upgrade before it potentially reaches Ethereum’s main network.

The proposed Oct. 6 date has not yet been formally confirmed.