Ethereum’s highly anticipated Dencun upgrade, set to bring major improvements to the network, is currently at risk of being delayed. Developers, in a recent meeting held on September 21, raised concerns about the need for extensive testing before Dencun can go live on the Ethereum mainnet, where real transactions occur.
While Dencun is nearing completion, the testing phase may push its launch into the new year, affecting previously estimated timelines. Tim Beiko, a prominent member of the Ethereum Foundation, emphasized the importance of deploying Dencun to a testnet before proceeding with the mainnet launch.
He raised doubts about the feasibility of launching Dencun on the mainnet before Christmas, given the need for comprehensive testing. During the meeting, Beiko stated:
“I think the implication is if we don’t do a test net before Devconnect [Nov. 13-18], it’s probably unlikely we can do the mainnet before the Christmas holidays and people being gone, so that’s probably not the best time for commitment.”
The uncertainty surrounding Dencun’s launch date comes in the wake of Ethereum’s Holesky testnet encountering launch issues. Holesky has been awaiting a relaunch, raising questions about its readiness for facilitating Dencun testing ahead of the Devconnect conference in November.
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While addressing these concerns, Parithosh Jayanthi, an Ethereum Foundation member, has announced that Holesky’s relaunch is set for September 28, ensuring it’s ready for Dencun testing before the conference. Initial Dencun fork testing might occur on the older testnet Goerli, close to discontinuation, to isolate potential issues. Later, Dencun’s second and third forks could be tested on Holesky with contingency plans for unforeseen challenges.
The Dencun upgrade is highly anticipated within the Ethereum community, as it combines two major upgrades, Deneb and Cancun, and introduces several groundbreaking features. Notably, it brings proto-dank sharding, a key advancement that promises to significantly enhance Ethereum’s scalability once it is successfully deployed on the mainnet.
Earlier, Ethereum experienced a similar upgrade with the Shanghai upgrade, transitioning from an energy-intensive Proof-of-Work to an eco-friendly Proof-of-Stake, reducing energy consumption by a remarkable 99%. However, despite these positive changes, a recent report from JPMorgan highlights that the expected surge in network activity did not materialize following its launch.
As the Ethereum community navigates through these testing challenges, the ultimate goal remains to deliver a robust and secure upgrade that can address the network’s growing demands and further establish Ethereum as a leading blockchain platform.