Ethereum, the leader in blockchain technology for smart contracts and decentralized applications, continues its efforts to increase scalability and efficiency. The new proposal, EIP-7781, introduced by researcher Ben Adams, aims to reduce the slot time from 12 to 8 seconds.
This proposal, currently in preliminary discussion, seeks to optimize network performance without compromising stability.
What is Slot Time?
The slot time, or the time interval between the proposal of each new block on the Ethereum blockchain, is currently set at 12 seconds. Reducing the slot time would accelerate the frequency at which blocks are created, increasing the number of transactions processed by the blockchain. In other words, a shorter slot time means a more responsive network, which is particularly beneficial for users of layer two solutions, such as rollups, that rely on the Ethereum mainnet for transaction security and finality.
Objectives of Proposal EIP-7781
Ben Adams, the author of the proposal, highlights two main objectives for reducing the slot time:
- Reducing latency for rollups: Rollups, which are layer two scaling solutions, use the Ethereum mainnet as a base layer for transaction processing and security. By reducing latency, these rollups could benefit from better overall performance, making transactions faster and smoother for users.
- Increasing transaction throughput by 33%: By reducing the slot time from 12 to 8 seconds, Ethereum could theoretically increase the total number of transactions processed by the network by 33%. This increase in throughput could enhance Ethereum’s ability to handle growing activity without congesting the network.
An Alternative to Traditional Approaches
The EIP-7781 proposal takes a different approach to increasing Ethereum’s processing capacity. Traditionally, the network might choose to increase the gas limit per block (from 30 to 40 million) or increase blob storage capacity (from 6 to 8). While these approaches also increase transaction throughput, they have a major drawback—they increase peak bandwidth demand, putting additional pressure on validator hardware resources.
EIP-7781 proposes to circumvent this problem by keeping the block size unchanged while increasing their frequency. Therefore, although transaction throughput increases, the maximum amount of data transferred at any given time (peak bandwidth) remains the same. This means that the hardware requirements for validators should not significantly increase, an important consideration for ensuring network decentralization and security.
Next Steps and Community Discussions
The proposal is currently in the preliminary discussion and review phase. It is part of Ethereum’s ongoing efforts to improve scalability, especially with the rise of solutions like Ethereum 2.0 and rollups. The Ethereum community, consisting of developers, validators, and users, is actively examining the potential implications of this reduction in slot time, including its impact on security, validators, and expected performance improvements.
If adopted, the EIP-7781 proposal could represent a significant evolution for Ethereum, offering a notable improvement in throughput without the constraints associated with increasing block size or bandwidth. This could pave the way for a more responsive and efficient network, while maintaining the principles of security and decentralization that are the strength of the Ethereum ecosystem. The forthcoming discussions and decisions made by the community will play a key role in implementing this proposal, which may well change how Ethereum manages its transactions and rollups in the future.
