Ethereum’s long-awaited migration to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, which has been pushed back time and time again, looks set to occur sometime in August. Hopefully. 

Preston Van Loon, a core developer of the Ethereum (ETH) network, told attendees at the Permissionless conference that the transition, known as the Merge, would occur sometime in August if everything plays out according to plan.

Van Loon told the 5000 attendees that the team was looking to make the transition before the so-called “difficulty bomb” would degrade the network as scheduled.

As far as we know, if everything goes to plan, August—it just makes sense. If we don’t have to move [the difficulty bomb], let’s do it as soon as we can.

Echoing this sentiment was fellow Ethereum researcher Justin Drake stated that ensuring the Merge went ahead quickly was a top priority, sharing his “strong desire to make this happen before difficulty bomb in August.”

The “difficulty bomb” refers to the program coded into the Ethereum blockchain that intentionally slows down the network. It was designed to encourage the transition to PoS by making it more difficult for miners to stay behind on the proof-of-work (PoW) chain after the Merge.

On April 11, Ethereum developer Tim Beiko announced that The Merge had once again been delayed. Despite a successful “shadow fork test”, Beiko said that The Merge would not be implemented in June as expected. According to Beiko, developers need to act quickly to avoid the difficulty bomb, otherwise, they will need to introduce yet another update to delay the bomb.

If client developers do not think they can deploy The Merge to mainnet before block times are slowed too much, it will need to be delayed again.

The recommitment to the timeline comes in the wake of this week’s news the Ethereum network will see a “huge testing milestone,” with the Ropsten testnet Merge set to be conducted on June 8. The Ropsten testnet Merge will see the PoW test network combined with a new PoS consensus layer testnet. It will simulate what will happen once the actual Merge between Ethereum and the Beacon Chain finally takes place and it becomes a PoS network.

If The Merge is successfully implemented in August, the final landmark on the roadmap for Ethereum, formerly known as Eth2, is the sharded chains upgrade slated to go live in early 2023. Until then, however, the network will continue to utilize layer-2 networks like Polygon and Optimism to handle scalability and high transaction volumes.


Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.

Recommended content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

Bitcoin reaches new highs near $90,000, on-chain data show chances of pullback

Bitcoin reaches new highs near $90,000, on-chain data show chances of pullback

Bitcoin hit a new all-time high of $89,900 on Tuesday before easing to around $86,000, following a 30% surge since November 5. Technical indicators suggest the rally may be overstretched, with a potential corrective pullback ahead. 

More Bitcoin News
GIGA investor loses $6M to phishing scam via fake Zoom link

GIGA investor loses $6M to phishing scam via fake Zoom link

On Monday, a Gigachad (GIGA) investor lost $6.09 million due to a phishing attack involving a fake Zoom link. Crypto investigation firm Scam Sniffer declared the scam that led the victim to a malicious site, compromising their wallet.

More Cryptocurrencies News
Tron, Avalanche and Uniswap: Double-digit gains on the cards, technical indicators show

Tron, Avalanche and Uniswap: Double-digit gains on the cards, technical indicators show

Tron is breaking above an ascending triangle formation on Tuesday, signaling a potential rally continuation. While AVAX and UNI are retesting their crucial support level — if supported, this suggests an upside move — all three altcoins look poised for double-digit gains as the crypto rally continues.

More Cryptocurrencies News
BNB: Bullish technical pattern validated, eyes all-time high

BNB: Bullish technical pattern validated, eyes all-time high

Binance Coin trades slightly down on Tuesday after breaking above an ascending triangle formation on the weekly chart, following a 12.5% rally last week. The technical outlook suggests a bullish breakout pattern and continuation of the rally, with a target set for a new all-time high of $825.

More Binance News
Bitcoin: Further upside likely after hitting new all-time high

Bitcoin: Further upside likely after hitting new all-time high

Bitcoin hit a fresh high of $76,849 on Thursday as crypto-friendly candidate Donald Trump won the US presidential election. Institutional demand returned with the highest single-day inflow on Thursday since the ETFs’ launch in January.

Read full analysis
Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads

Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads

VERIFIED Low spreads are crucial for reducing trading costs. Explore top Forex brokers offering competitive spreads and high leverage. Compare options for EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and Gold.

Read More

BTC

ETH

XRP