Ethereum’s Fusaka hard fork is now targeted for late 2025. It’s slated to launch in the third or fourth quarter, most likely in September or October. A significant change, though, was made to this week’s roadmap. The EOF upgrade has been canceled.
EOF was to enhance smart contract efficiency. It would have optimized bytecode structures, cut back on overhead, and enhanced execution speed. However, developers raised technical risks. They worried it would push back the entire Fusaka deployment.
On April 28, Ethereum Foundation co-executive director Stańczak explained things. The EOF debate in question, he emphasized, has nothing to do with the Pectra upgrade already scheduled for May 7. Pectra goes ahead as originally planned without EOF.
Ethereum developers remove EOF after heated debate
Ethereum core devs decided during the ACDT 34 call. Tim Beiko confirms this in a post on GitHub. It was termed by him as a highly unusual process, and he instructed everyone to listen to the entire discussion.
Beiko clarified the primary reasons why the transition was necessary. First, PeerDAS is now a top priority. Including EOF would have slowed down Fusaka devnets. Second, there was technical ambiguity surrounding EOF’s final version. Mid-call, several participants realized they had misunderstood significant impacts.
Usually, such fundamental questions finish an EIP before anyone makes a final decision. Here, the question lingered too long. Beiko also pointed to broader process failures.
Core developers repeatedly agreed to include EOF. Again and again, objections from the community accumulated. Repetition undermined faith in the plan. Eliminating EOF finally paves the way for a smoother rollout of Fusaka.
Nonetheless, EOF proponents have room to continue lobbying later on for inclusion. The Glamsterdam expansion might present a new opportunity if the proposal receives a more solid foundation.
Beiko apologized to the community for the lost time. He declared that things learned from the EOF saga would inform more effective upgrade planning in the future. Ethereum’s roadmap remains evolving.
