Ethereum’s ‘Strawmap’ Draft: Seven Forks to 2029 Target Fast Finality & Gigagas Scaling

A draft Ethereum Layer‑1 planning document called “Strawmap” consolidates multi‑year protocol ambitions into a single timeline running through 2029. The Strawmap proposes a roughly six‑month cadence of seven protocol forks that coordinate upgrades across the Consensus Layer (CL), Data Layer (DL) and Execution Layer (EL). Each fork is designed to carry one major consensus change and one execution “headliner” to limit scope and reduce coordination risk. Named near‑term forks include Glamsterdam and Hegotá; later cycles use placeholder labels. The document defines five long‑term “north star” goals: Fast L1 (second‑level finality and seconds‑scale inclusion via progressively shorter slot times), Gigagas L1 (~10,000 TPS using zkEVM and real‑time proving), Teragas L2 (~10 million TPS through much higher data throughput and data‑availability sampling), Post‑Quantum L1 (hash‑based, quantum‑resistant cryptography), and Private L1 (native shielded ETH transfers on base layer). Vitalik Buterin’s commentary on progressive slot‑time reductions (12s → 8s → 6s → 4s → 3s → 2s) and ideas such as Minimmit finality were noted as influential in shaping the draft. Strawmap is explicitly a coordination and discussion document — not a binding roadmap — and will be updated at least quarterly. It assumes conventional development timelines but recognises that advances in AI and formal verification could accelerate delivery. The plan’s six‑month fork cadence favours incremental, lower‑risk upgrades but forces prioritisation of headliner features across CL, DL and EL. What traders should watch: whether core developer coordination channels and upcoming fork scopes begin reflecting Strawmap priorities (signaling movement from narrative to implementable plan); which north‑star goals translate into active EIPs and scheduled milestones versus remaining research; and potential short‑term volatility around fork announcements, testnet milestones and mainnet activations. Strategic implications include clearer, multi‑cycle expectations for Ethereum scaling and UX improvements, which could influence medium‑ to long‑term capital allocation into ETH and L2 ecosystems.