Ethereum Fusaka Upgrade: PeerDAS Expands Rollup Capacity Without Raising Node Requirements
Ethereum’s Fusaka upgrade implements EIP-7594 (PeerDAS) and a blob-parameters-only deployment path to expand rollup data capacity while keeping node hardware requirements within consumer-grade limits. PeerDAS allows validators to verify sampled pieces of blobs rather than downloading full blobs, cutting duplicate transmissions and bandwidth use and increasing effective data capacity for rollups. Fusaka also formalises a process to raise blob capacity via parameter-only activations so future increases won’t require full hard forks. Engineers from Bitwise Onchain Solutions said the upgrade aims to rebalance L1/L2 fee dynamics, preserve home-staking feasibility, and deliver higher on-chain utilisation with shorter, targeted upgrade cycles (roughly six months). Early indicators after pre-fork activations include lower gas fees and reduced mempool congestion. Success metrics focus on secure deployment, rising blob utilisation and steady ecosystem adoption rather than headline capacity figures. For traders: expect potential downward pressure on short-term gas costs and improved UX for rollups, while the longer-term effect is neutral-to-bullish for ETH as higher practical data capacity supports L2 growth without centralising node requirements.
Neutral
The Fusaka upgrade addresses a key scaling bottleneck—rollup data availability—without increasing node hardware demands, which reduces centralization risk. Short-term market effects include likely downward pressure on gas fees and reduced mempool congestion, improving on-chain user experience and potentially lowering L2 transaction costs; that could slightly lessen transaction fee-driven selling pressure on ETH. However, these are operational and infrastructure improvements rather than immediate demand drivers (such as token burns or direct economic incentives). Long-term the upgrade is supportive: by enabling higher practical data capacity and smoother L2 scaling without hard forks, it improves Ethereum’s competitiveness and utility, which is bullish over time. Because the changes mainly alter infrastructure efficiency and deployment mechanics rather than directly increasing token velocity or introducing new revenue sinks, the immediate price impact is limited—hence a neutral short-term view shifting modestly bullish over the medium-to-long term as rollups adopt the new capacity.