Ethereum Activates Fusaka Upgrade, Bringing “Near-Instant” Transactions Closer

Ethereum has activated its long-awaited Fusaka upgrade, introducing PeerDAS — a major data-scalability breakthrough that pushes the network closer to “near-instant” transactions.

The upgrade went live on December 4 at epoch 411,392, and the Ethereum Foundation released a detailed breakdown on X explaining how Fusaka reshapes the experience for users, developers, node operators, and L2 ecosystems. The message was clear: this is about speed — and a fundamentally better data pipeline.

Faster confirmations, lower costs

The Foundation described Fusaka as a stepping stone toward a “near-instant user experience.” The key innovation: preliminary confirmations that cut waiting times from minutes to milliseconds. Engineers I’ve spoken with say this is the type of shift that changes how applications feel on-chain — the sort of improvement people only notice when it's gone.

Combined with lower fees, the network aims to deliver a more seamless, consumer-grade UX that Ethereum has long promised.

PeerDAS: up to 8× more data capacity for L2 rollups

For L2s, the impact is even bigger. PeerDAS (peer data availability sampling) can increase data throughput by up to eightfold. Instead of forcing nodes to handle massive rollup blocks, the system splits them into smaller chunks — letting nodes download and verify far less information while maintaining security.

Flow-wise, this means rollups can post more data, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.

The Foundation emphasized that the improvement doesn’t compromise decentralization. Cheaper blob fees and more space for rollup data could unlock both lower user fees and new scaling opportunities.

Market reaction: traders expect a stronger ETH response

Crypto traders were quick to highlight parallels with the previous Ethereum upgrade, Pectra. Market commentator MerlijnTrader reminded his 404,700 followers that Pectra coincided with a +58% move in ETH — arguing Fusaka’s fundamentals look even stronger.

Fusaka is built for a much stronger move. Price is lagging fundamentals — but not for long.

Bitcoin veteran @LLuciano_BTC, followed by 2 million users, offered a similar take, calling Fusaka “the kind of catalyst that triggers real growth” and a demonstration of how far Ethereum can scale without compromising its design.

A pivotal upgrade for Ethereum’s 2025 roadmap

Fusaka is Ethereum’s second major upgrade of the year, following Pectra. Both are aimed at resolving the network’s core bottleneck: data scalability. For developers building decentralized applications and enterprise-grade services, the improvements could be significant.

With rollups now able to push more data at a lower cost — and with user experience inching toward millisecond confirmations — Fusaka may become one of the most impactful upgrades in Ethereum’s recent history.