Ethereum core developers have announced plans for two major network upgrades in 2026. The code names for these upgrades are 'Glamsterdam' and 'Hegota.'
This decision shows that the blockchain network is transitioning to a faster release cycle. This measure has been put in place to establish a predictable semiannual upgrade schedule and to enhance competitiveness against high-performance rival networks.
Ethereum upgrades every six months... responding to speed competition
According to the roadmap, 'Glamsterdam' is set to launch in the first half of 2026. This is expected to follow quickly after the recent 'Fusaka' hard fork.
According to developers, the Glamsterdam upgrade focuses on immediate scalability and efficiency improvements. Key enhancements include gas optimization and 'built-in proposer-builder separation (ePBS)'.
This technical upgrade aims to separate the roles of block builders and proposers at the protocol level. It also reduces censorship risks and further decentralizes the network.
Meanwhile, developers plan to finalize the complete feature list of the Glamsterdam upgrade shortly after the year-end holidays.
On the other hand, the second phase of the 2026 upgrade, 'Hegota', aims for the second half of the year.
The upgrade name reflects the dual nature of combining the 'Bogota' execution layer and the 'Heze' consensus layer upgrades.
Christine Kim, former vice president of Galaxy Digital and currently monitoring protocol governance, mentioned that discussions on the scope for Hegota will begin during the All Core Developers call on January 8.
In this meeting, the 'key' features of the fork will be determined, and the final scope is expected to be confirmed by the end of February.
Additional upcoming updates
Along with these structural changes, the Ethereum Foundation is shifting its long-term research direction towards enhancing security.
Researcher George Kadianakis confirmed that the network plans to achieve '128-bit provable security' by the end of 2026. This cryptographic standard is considered essential for institutional-level financial applications.
"In the case of zkEVM, this is not a theoretical discussion. Soundness flaws are entirely different from other security issues. If an attacker can forge proofs, they can create tokens out of nothing, rewrite states, and steal funds. In an L1 zkEVM protecting hundreds of billions of dollars, we cannot compromise on security margins." – George Kadianakis, Researcher
The foundation has tied this plan to specific milestones, including the February 'soundcalc' integration and complete integration with the Glamsterdam hard fork in May.
These efforts aim to eliminate the technical barriers currently limiting the widespread adoption of Ethereum.
To bridge this gap, developers are implementing strategies to lower entry barriers and provide intuitive usability similar to mainstream consumer applications.
