Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has been very active on social media recently, first reflecting on the previous direction of Layer2 solutions, and then outlining new plans for Ethereum’s future roadmap.

This has generated more anticipation for Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade in the first half of this year. What are the key features of Glamsterdam, Ethereum’s most important update this first half of the year?

Looking at the "current" through the "ex"

Before understanding Glamsterdam, we need to understand its predecessor—the Fusaka upgrade.

Fusaka is a data layer upgrade for Ethereum. It introduces two key features: PeerDAS and EOF:

PeerDAS: You don’t need to download all the data—just a small portion. Like a sample survey, you don’t need to ask everyone; asking a small group is enough to infer the overall situation. Combined with ZK proofs, even if you only download 1/16 of the total data, you can still verify data integrity, significantly increasing Ethereum’s network throughput.

EOF: Can be understood as an internal reform of the EVM. It makes the EVM’s code structure clearer, more modular, and easier to optimize. EOF is like renovating the EVM to make its internal structure more rational.

If Fusaka is a "data layer upgrade," then Glamsterdam is an "execution layer upgrade." Fusaka primarily addresses "how to transmit data," while Glamsterdam tackles "who produces blocks."

The core of Glamsterdam — ePBS and BAL

ePBS separates the processes of block building and validation—block builders are responsible for packaging transactions, proposers for proposing blocks, and validators for verifying blocks. Each role focuses on its specific task, allowing block builders to more aggressively package more transactions, since proposers and validators will check for security, eliminating concerns about safety.

Can Ethereum do this now? Yes, but it relies on relays like Flashbots to separate "proposing" and "building." Validators are responsible only for proposing blocks, while builders handle transaction packaging to earn MEV (Maximal Extractable Value).

This creates a black box, and the necessity to trust a third-party relay can lead to failures, censorship, attacks, or centralization.

ePBS integrates this power-separation mechanism into the protocol (EIP-7732), turning it into "on-chain auction + protocol-enforced execution," which addresses trust issues and improves network efficiency.

The Block Access List (BAL) allows block producers to inform validators in advance: “The transactions in this block will access these accounts and storage locations.” With this information, validators can preload the relevant data from disk into memory, enabling them to check multiple transactions in parallel rather than one at a time. It’s like a factory assembly line: instead of one worker handling the entire product, multiple workers simultaneously handle different parts.

Together, these two elements create a dual reinforcement—enhanced efficiency and censorship resistance.

However, for ePBS to function at full capacity, another piece is needed—the Fork Choice Forced Inclusion List (FOCIL). FOCIL enables validators to publish a list of transactions that “must be included.” If a builder omits these transactions, validators can reject the block using fork choice rules. This gives validators a “final line of defense” against excessive censorship by builders.

However, launching ePBS and FOCIL simultaneously would be highly complex, so FOCIL’s arrival will wait until the second upgrade this year, Hegotá.

Potential impact of Glamsterdam

In addition to ePBS and BAL, gas fee repricing and multidimensional gas will also be included in the Glamsterdam upgrade, making transactions cheaper for regular users and increasing the network’s overall capacity, while slightly increasing costs for certain developers (those requiring new state construction).

For stakers, the income model is clearer, block selection rights are greater, and MEV rewards are more smoothed. This also means the MEV ecosystem will change, and some applications that rely on current methods of earning MEV may need to adapt.

As validator power increases, new application opportunities will emerge. For example, new "validator services" apps may arise to help validators select blocks more effectively.

However, the Glamsterdam upgrade is certainly not perfect. As mentioned earlier, while ePBS will arrive with this upgrade, it is still not a fully realized version without FOCIL. The complexity of this update grants validators greater power. Beyond stability after implementation, it is also worth considering whether decentralization might lead to new forms of centralization at the validator level.

Vitalik also admitted, "ePBS only prevents builder centralization from spilling over into the staking layer, but the issue of builder centralization itself remains." Toxic MEV (sandwich attacks, front-running) may merely persist "elsewhere."

But in the long term, the greatest significance of the Glamsterdam upgrade may be "decentralization." Vitalik's dedication to and idealism about decentralization theory could foster greater trust in Ethereum's adoption among traditional finance and the world at large—time may ultimately reveal the true value of this commitment in Ethereum's price.

Since last year, Ethereum's major updates have increased to twice a year. No longer standing still, Ethereum is now racing against time—and may truly reclaim its glory.

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