- Ethereum’s gas limit reached 37.3M, and a vote is now pushing for a jump to 45M.
- Validator support sits close to 50%, and TPS has climbed to nearly 18 across the chain.
- Price targets are near $4K, while recent Geth upgrades ease node storage to just under 2TB.
Ethereum’s gas limit has reached a record 37.3 million as of July 20, 2025, according to Etherscan.io, marking its largest single-year increase since launch. Co-founder Vitalik Buterin confirmed that nearly 50% of stakers now back a further increase to 45 million. The proposed change could drive more transaction capacity while challenging decentralization and node performance. At the same time, Ethereum’s price is rising as large investors push toward the $4,000 level.
Validator Support Aligns with Core Developers in Capacity Push
Ethereum’s gas limit used per block for transactions or contracts has grown from 3 million in 2016 to 30 million by 2021. The limit sharply rose to 37.3 million in mid-2025. This aligns with the “Pump the Gas,” which was launched in March 2024, that originally targeted a raise from 30M to 40M. Developers claimed this would ease congestion and reduce Layer 1 fees.
Almost exactly 50% of the stake is signaling to further raise the limit to 45M, according to Buterin. The rise would allow blocks to hold more data, enabling complex transactions and increased throughput. But the change could also place heavier demands on node operators and client software.
According to GasLimits.pics, a survey showed that an estimated 47.2% of validators are in favor of the raise. Validators can change the limit by around 0.1% for each block, which allows them to make slow changes. This approach not only prevents sudden pressure on the network but also supports gradual capacity growth on Ethereum’s base layer.
Higher Gas Enables More Transactions but Raises Network Demands
The gas limit determines how many transactions can be processed per block, with higher limits unlocking more throughput. Following the latest increase, Ethereum’s transaction rate rose from 15 TPS to nearly 18 TPS, according to Chainspect. Raising the limit also raises concerns. More gas per block increases the processing load on network nodes, which must validate and store this data.
To address this, the latest developments by the Geth team added new optimizations to archive nodes. The intention of these updates was to lower the need for storage of archive nodes, which was 20+ TB, to approximately 1.9 TB.
Vitalik Buterin has contributed to acknowledging such improvements, mentioning that Geth upgrades now make scaling safe. He further said that recent improvements in clients allow verifying past balances without imposing unnecessary storage requirements on node operators.
Ethereum’s Rising TPS Raises a Pivotal Question on Scalability
The critical question for Ethereum remains whether the platform can achieve secure scalability without damaging its basic principles of decentralization. Core developers and validators work together to drive the recent increase in Ethereum network capacity. The 45M staking threshold stands within reach because of the high stakeholder support, which would help Ethereum in terms of lowering its on-chain transaction costs.
Related: Ethereum EIP-9698 Proposal Aims for 100x Gas Limit Increase
Price action has just experienced a rapid increase. The growing gas capacity alongside improved validator coordination has resulted in the token approaching $4,000 because investors are demonstrating strong market trust. The scalability goals of stakeholders, together with recent Geth client improvements, could strengthen Ethereum as a decentralized, scalable platform.
Buterin explained that the network continues its transformation through each block that gets added. The blockchain network Ethereum demonstrates its commitment to progress through validator-led expansion and lightweight storage solutions.
