Ethereum increases data capacity in new scalability upgrade

Source: PortaldoBitcoin Original Title: Ethereum increases data capacity in new scalability upgrade Original Link: Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain network in the world, has increased the amount of data it can process at once.

Although this is a small and expected change, it affects how the network handles the growth in application usage and provides a clearer view of how Ethereum plans to scale as this utilization continues to grow.

The update comes after statements that network upgrades are transforming it into “a new and more powerful type of decentralized network,” capable of achieving security, decentralization, and scalability simultaneously.

The new mechanism: blobs

The new focus refers to a mechanism called blobs, which ensures that data from second-layer rollup transactions, such as Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, and Mantle, are reliably published on Ethereum.

Rollups are a way to execute transactions off the main Ethereum network while maintaining blockchain security. The same applies to privacy segments for zero-knowledge rollups, such as zkSync Era, StarkNet, and Scroll, among others.

Activated on Tuesday night, the second scheduled update, Blob Parameter Only (BPO), raised the network’s blob target from 10 to 14 and the blob limit from 15 to 21.

How do blobs work?

Blobs work by keeping rollup data accessible to all network participants for a limited period, allowing transactions to be verified and state changes confirmed without relying on trusted intermediaries.

Data availability layers, such as Celestia, EigenDA, and Avail, offer alternative ways to publish rollup data. However, at times, this involves a trade-off between greater integration with Ethereum and higher throughput or lower costs.

Since the first BPO fork, demand for blobs has steadily grown without approaching capacity limits, indicating a considerable margin in Ethereum’s data layer.

Data visualizations show that the average blob usage remains well below the target level, even with the gradual increase in total blob rates — suggesting that rollup activity is increasing but not yet constrained by supply.

This dynamic reinforces Ethereum’s strategy of incrementally scaling data availability before bottlenecks emerge.

Scalability by design

Observers indicate that the fork demonstrates that Ethereum can now scale by adjusting capacity as needed.

The BPO2 fork highlights that Ethereum’s scalability is now parametric, no longer procedural. The blob space is far from saturation, and the network can expand throughput simply by adjusting capacity.

The result is smoother fee dynamics for rollups, greater data margin, and a system that scales dynamically.

Ethereum’s modular architecture turns data availability into a controllable resource rather than a limiter. In practice, Ethereum has evolved into an elastic base layer capable of expanding according to demand without sacrificing decentralization or stability of coordination.

Although the latest fork is small, it can be impactful in cases where blobs are the bottleneck — for example, providing a bit more margin for rollups that typically operate near the target.

This means more L2 batches per unit of time, or the same batches at a marginally lower blob cost. In terms of fee stability, raising the target reduces the likelihood of operating at the (near maximum), which is when rollups face the highest blob fee peaks and the greatest batch time instability.

The update also signals that Ethereum can manage short-term scalability pressures from rollups through continuous adjustments in data availability, but this is a step within a larger plan. These parameter changes give Ethereum operational agility, and such structural modifications could become a long-term strategy.