Ethereum has launched its second major upgrade of the year, Fusaka, introducing a substantial boost to data capacity, lower transaction costs, and improved overall usability. The update went live on the Ethereum mainnet at 9:49 pm UTC on Wednesday at Epoch 411392. Its most impactful feature is peer data availability sampling (PeerDAS), a mechanism expected to deliver large-scale improvements to Ethereum and its layer-2 ecosystem.

Earlier this week, the Ethereum Foundation published a detailed explanation on X, outlining the upgrade’s implications across the ecosystem, including developers, node operators, enterprises, L2s and rollups. According to the Foundation, Fusaka represents another step toward enabling “near-instant transactions,” helping pave the way for a more seamless user journey.

“Fusaka lays the groundwork for ‘instant-feel’ user experiences. Based preconfirmations allow for reduced transaction latency — moving from minutes to milliseconds. Combined with lower transaction costs, this opens the door for a new tier of usability.”

How PeerDAS transforms scaling

For L2s and rollups, the Foundation noted that PeerDAS could “unlock up to 8x data throughput,” offering a far more efficient approach to handling data across the network. PeerDAS works by splitting entire blobs of rollup data into smaller fragments, reducing the amount of information nodes need to download and upload. This accelerates processing and improves how rollups communicate with Ethereum’s mainnet.

“For rollups, this means cheaper blob fees and more space to grow (plus lower fees for users). All while keeping the network decentralized,” the Foundation explained.

Market reaction and expectations

With Fusaka delivering multiple performance upgrades behind the scenes, attention has shifted to how Ether’s price may respond. In an X post on Sunday, MerlijnTrader pointed out to their 404,700 followers that Ethereum’s previous upgrade, Pectra, “triggered a +58% move,” adding that “Fusaka is built to launch harder. Price lags fundamentals. But not for long.”

On Nov. 29, Bitcoin OG @LLuciano_BTC expressed a similar outlook to his 2 million followers, saying, “Fusaka feels even bigger, the kind of catalyst that sparks real upside,” and adding that “Ethereum finally shows how far scaling can go while staying true to its design.”

Sources:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-fusaka-upgrade-goes-live-instant-feel-user-experiences

https://x.com/LLuciano_BTC/status/1994688916327420255

https://x.com/MerlijnTrader/status/1995145804454281426

https://x.com/ethereum/status/1996339856415342914