Ethereum Delays Hoodi Testnet Upgrade for EIP-8037 Tests

What Happened with EthereumETH-0.83%'s Next Testnet Upgrade?

Ethereum core developers have officially paused the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet. The upgrade was originally set to go live on October 26 at 17:42:48 UTC. However, developers decided they need extra time to test a specific proposed change known as EIP-8037 before moving forward. Currently, no replacement date has been set for the Hoodi testnet activation.

This decision came straight out of the All Core Developers Execution (ACDE) call #248. According to an official update announcement, the team wants to conduct a deeper investigation into how EIP-8037 interacts with active mainnet smart contracts. While the notice clearly highlighted the need for further research, it did not detail any specific findings or issues discovered so far.

Understanding EIP-8037 and Gas Pricing Changes

To understand why developers are pumping the brakes, it helps to look at what EIP-8037 actually does. In simple terms, EIP-8037 raises the gas cost associated with creating state—which includes the account and storage data that every Ethereum node must keep.

By metering these storage creation costs separately from standard computational operations, the network aims to manage long-term data expansion more effectively. However, this adjustment can affect existing applications. The original Hoodi announcement had already warned application developers that smart contracts relying on fixed gas stipends or hardcoded gas limits might require adjustments.

What the Postponement Means for Node Operators

Pulling the activation date effectively removes both the Amsterdam execution layer and Gloas consensus layer updates from Hoodi's network configuration. Additionally, it rolls back a schedule that would have raised the testnet gas limit to 200M at the exact same epoch.

Importantly, developers stressed that this is strictly a configuration rollback. The Hoodi testnet's existing transaction history remains completely untouched.

If you run a Hoodi node or validator, here is what you need to keep in mind:

• Check both your execution and consensus clients for updated instructions reflecting the delay.
• Update any automated software or custom network configurations that still point to the old October 26 timestamp.
• Note that release tables in earlier announcements no longer guarantee those client versions carry the change.
• Lodestar v1.50.1 is currently the only client release explicitly listed with updated notes.
• Application developers should avoid building testing schedules around the postponed October 26 date.

Do Mainnet Users Need to Do Anything?

If you are an everyday Ethereum user or ETH holder, you can rest easy. This delay only impacts testnet environments, which are sandbox networks used by developers to test updates safely before touching the live blockchain.

"No action is required from Ethereum mainnet users or ETH holders as a result of this update."

The announcement also made clear that no concrete date has been set yet for the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Ethereum mainnet.

Looking Back: Testing Hiccups from Devnets to Sepolia

This postponement follows earlier testing challenges on the road to Glamsterdam. Back in early September, developers faced bugs while running private development networks prior to a planned October 6 activation on the Sepolia testnet.

Those issues included difficulties finalizing the chain and bugs linked to EIP-8037 that required updates across execution-layer clients. Despite those roadbumps, Glamsterdam went live on Sepolia on September 11, making Hoodi the next testnet in line.

Ethereum Market Overview

Over in the crypto market, Ethereum's native token, ETH, traded slightly lower alongside these technical updates. ETH dipped around 1% over a 24-hour period to hover near $2,400.

Looking at broader timeframes, ETH is down roughly 4% over two weeks and nearly 14% over the past 30 days, placing the token about 51% below its all-time high near $5,000.

Past performance of digital assets is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.