Ethereum The Surge: How to achieve a blockchain upgrade with 100,000+ TPS

The Ethereum ecosystem is brewing a major transformation. As the world’s most important smart contract platform, Ethereum is advancing toward processing over 100,000 transactions per second through an upgrade plan called The Surge. This is not only a technological breakthrough but also signifies a fundamental change in the user experience of the entire blockchain ecosystem.

The Core Goals of The Surge Upgrade: Breaking Performance Bottlenecks

Currently, the Ethereum mainnet (Layer 1) has a processing capacity of only about 15-30 TPS. While sufficient for many applications, during network congestion, skyrocketing Gas fees have become a pain point for users. The Surge was born out of this need, with the mission to make Ethereum a high-performance public chain capable of supporting global-scale applications without sacrificing decentralization and security.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has positioned The Surge as a critical phase for network expansion. By combining Layer 2 solutions and Rollup technology, Ethereum’s vision is for the entire ecosystem to feel like a unified network rather than fragmented blockchain islands.

The Three Pillars Supporting The Surge

1. Layer 2 Rollups as the Main Expansion Force

Rollups are at the heart of The Surge strategy. They process transactions off-chain in batches and then submit summarized transaction data to the Ethereum main chain. This significantly reduces the burden on the mainnet and lowers user transaction costs.

Currently, there are two main types of Rollups in the market:

• Optimistic Rollups (such as Arbitrum, Optimism): Assume transactions are valid unless proven otherwise, which speeds up transaction processing.
• ZK-Rollups (such as zkSync): Use zero-knowledge proofs to verify transaction validity in real-time, providing stronger security guarantees.

Data shows that the total value of assets locked in Ethereum Layer 2 networks has grown by 216% over the past year, surpassing $3.8 billion. This demonstrates strong market recognition of Rollup solutions.

2. DAS Data Sampling Technology Enhances Node Efficiency

Data Availability Sampling (DAS) is another key innovation. In traditional models, each validation node must download and verify all transaction data, creating a significant technical burden. DAS changes this by allowing nodes to verify only a subset of data, with the network collectively ensuring integrity.

Specifically, PeerDAS distributes data verification load via peer-to-peer networks, while 2D DAS further optimizes the verification mechanism to ensure security while greatly increasing network capacity. Through DAS, Layer 2 networks can handle more transactions without increasing storage costs for nodes.

3. Data Compression and Plasma Solutions Optimize On-Chain Efficiency

Plasma technology processes transactions off-chain and only submits transaction summaries to the main chain, reducing on-chain storage requirements. Coupled with data compression techniques like BLS signature aggregation—merging multiple signatures into one—Ethereum can handle large-scale transaction flows more efficiently.

The combination of these technologies theoretically enables Ethereum to surpass 100,000 TPS.

The Implementation Roadmap of The Surge

The Surge will be implemented in multiple phases, each laying the foundation for the next:

Q1 2024: Dencun Upgrade Initiates Proto-Danksharding

• EIP-4844 officially deployed, introducing “blob” data structures to optimize Layer 2 data handling
• Layer 2 networks begin to enjoy significant transaction cost reductions

2024-2025: Rollup Expansion and Cryptography Improvements

• Major Rollup projects deploy scalability updates
• New cryptographic proofs like SNARKs enhance trustworthiness
• PeerDAS and 2D DAS systems are scaled up

End of 2025: Layer 1 Optimization and Gas Pricing Reform

• EOF (Ethereum Object Format) improves smart contract execution efficiency
• Multi-dimensional Gas pricing mechanisms are introduced, charging based on computation, data, and storage
• Native Rollup integration into Ethereum protocol layers may occur

2026 and Beyond: Complete Danksharding and Long-term Evolution

• Transition from Proto-Danksharding to full sharding solutions
• Ethereum aims for 100,000+ TPS
• Post-quantum cryptography and advanced consensus mechanisms continue to evolve

The Practical Impact of The Surge on the Ecosystem

User Experience Leap

For ordinary users, the most immediate change will be a significant reduction in fees. Currently, transferring ETH on Layer 2 networks like Arbitrum and Optimism costs only $0.24–$0.78, and after The Surge, these costs will be further lowered. This makes high-frequency trading, micro-payments, and other previously unfeasible scenarios due to high Gas fees truly possible.

Expanded Innovation Space for Developers

A fast and inexpensive transaction environment opens up new possibilities for DeFi, gaming, NFT, and other application developers. Complex contract logic and large-scale user interactions are no longer constrained by performance bottlenecks. Seamless interoperability between Layer 2 and Layer 1 also allows developers to design more flexible application architectures.

Enhanced Ecosystem Unity

Another goal of The Surge is to create an Ethereum ecosystem that feels like “one network with multiple chains” rather than “multiple isolated chains.” Asset transfers between different Layers will be as simple and natural as transfers between wallets.

Challenges and Risks of the Upgrade

While scalability is improved, new risks also emerge. The security of Layer 2 solutions depends on the robustness of cryptographic proofs; any vulnerabilities could be exploited by attackers. Additionally, blindly increasing the Gas limit on Layer 1 may raise hardware requirements for operating nodes, potentially harming decentralization.

Vitalik Buterin also pointed out that in the long term, Ethereum needs to address threats from quantum computing. The community has already begun researching post-quantum cryptography solutions.

Ethereum’s Long-term Evolution Roadmap

The Surge is just one part of Ethereum’s ongoing technological roadmap. Future phases include:

• The Splurge: Optimizing Gas pricing and transaction formats
• The Verge: Improving consensus efficiency through stateless clients
• The Purge: Cleaning historical data to enhance node operation efficiency

Ethereum’s ultimate goal is to become a blockchain infrastructure capable of supporting hundreds of millions of users worldwide, while maintaining decentralization and security. The Surge is a crucial step forward toward this grand vision.

Conclusion

Ethereum’s The Surge upgrade marks a significant breakthrough in the exploration of blockchain scalability. Through the coordinated use of Rollup, DAS, data compression, and other technologies, Ethereum is working toward breaking the 100,000 TPS barrier. This is not only about improving transaction speed and costs but also symbolizes the transition of blockchain applications from niche to mainstream.

Of course, any large-scale technological upgrade requires cautious implementation. Ongoing security audits, thorough community testing, and phased deployment strategies will ensure The Surge’s smooth rollout. For users and developers, understanding these changes and adapting to the new ecosystem architecture are key to seizing Ethereum’s next development opportunities.