Ethereum Retires Holešky Testnet Post-Fusaka, Moves to Hoodi
Ethereum plans to retire its Holešky testnet two weeks after the Fusaka upgrade, scheduled for late September. Launched in September 2023 to trial staking and validator setups, Holešky has supported key upgrades like Dencun and Pectra. Following the shutdown, developers and validators will migrate to the Hoodi testnet, which already hosts Pectra and will handle Fusaka and future protocol changes. For smart contract and application testing, Ethereum Foundation recommends the Sepolia testnet, while Ephemery remains available for short-term validator trials. On the mainnet, Ethereum will implement the Fusaka upgrade (also known as Fulu-Osaka) in early November, optimizing rollup data handling, improving validator workload distribution, and boosting node efficiency. Looking further ahead, the Glamsterdam upgrade in 2026 (EIP-7782) aims to shorten block times to six seconds and enhance zero-knowledge proof support, reinforcing Ethereum’s scalability and decentralization roadmap.
Bullish
The retirement of the underutilized Holešky testnet and migration to Hoodi demonstrate Ethereum’s commitment to streamlined testing environments, which can improve development velocity and network stability. The Fusaka upgrade’s enhancements to rollup data access and validator workload distribution are likely to boost mainnet efficiency, potentially driving positive sentiment among traders. In the short term, this structured transition reduces network risk by consolidating testnets and avoiding inactivity leaks, offering clearer upgrade paths. Over the long term, planned improvements like Glamsterdam’s shorter block times and stronger ZK proof support underpin Ethereum’s scalability, which may attract more developers and increase demand for ETH. Overall, these developments support a bullish outlook for Ethereum’s price trajectory.