Introduction
After the milestone moments of The Merge (transition to Proof‑of‑Stake) and Cancun‑Dencun (Protodanksharding), Ethereum’s core developers are lining up the network’s next hard fork: Pectra, scheduled for May 7th, 2025. Pectra fuses the originally separate Prague (execution‑layer) and Electra (consensus‑layer) upgrades, bundling quality‑of‑life wins for users, Layer 2 (L2) rollups, and validators alike.
Curvegrid has been closely tracking Pectra’s evolution, and in this post we’ll break down what’s inside: focusing on the headline act, blobs, plus a sneak peek at how EIP‑7702 will super‑charge everyday wallets.
Pectra in a Nutshell
A Quick Blob Refresher (EIP‑4844)
Blobs (“binary large objects”) landed on mainnet with Cancun‑Dencun on March 13, 2024. They introduced a new, ephemeral data bucket purpose‑built for rollups:
- 131,072 bytes per blob
- 18‑day on‑chain residency (≈ 4,096 epochs) before pruning
- Orders‑of‑magnitude cheaper than calldata
Since launch, blobs have already saved rollups > USD 420 million in transaction costs (Dune Analytics, April 2025).
Insights from ETHTaipei 2025
At ETHTaipei 2025, Curvegrid co‑founder Jeff Wentworth spoke about Ethereum’s blob sidecars attached to Ethereum’s motorcycle. Rollups get a cheap storage compartment (consensus layer) without weighing down the main vehicle (execution layer).
Key takeaways from Jeff’s presentation:
- Blobs are ideal for ephemeral high-throughput L2 data
- They help maintain Ethereum’s neutrality as a modular data layer
- Ethereum isn’t just a settlement layer anymore, but more so a high-efficiency data highway
Blobs Level‑Up: EIP‑7691
With rollups like Optimism, Arbitrum, and Base migrating their batch data from calldata to blobs, demand is rising fast. EIP‑7691 responds by:
- Target blobs per block: 3 → 6
- Maximum blobs per block: 6 → 9
- Calldata disincentive (EIP‑7623): raises calldata gas for large payloads, nudging more L2s to use blobs
The net result? More throughput, lower fees, and a sturdier path to full danksharding.
“Blobs introduced this concept of having this separate data space where L2s could have their own transactions. This greatly increased the scalability of L2s and decreased the cost by a factor of about 50, kickstarting the L2 ecosystem as they exist today.” - from Vitalik’s keynote at ETHTaipei, April 2025
EIP‑7702: Smart‑Contract Superpowers for EOAs
One of the most anticipated items in Pectra is EIP‑7702, which introduces Transaction Type 4. It lets your regular wallet address temporarily behave like a smart contract within a single transaction:
- Account abstraction without migration: No need to deploy a new contract‑based wallet, as your existing EOA can opt in on demand.
- Gas‑in‑any‑token: Coupled with Pectra’s ERC‑20 gas payments, onboarding a new user can be as simple as sending them USDC.
- Composable magic: Wallets can bundle approvals, swaps, and Dapp calls, then settle in one atomic move.
For developers, EIP‑7702 is a lightweight bridge to full account abstraction (AA), paving the way for features like session keys, social recovery, and sponsored transactions while preserving Ethereum’s tried‑and‑tested security model.
Looking Ahead
Pectra underscores Ethereum’s commitment to scalability without centralization. By boosting blob capacity and nudging EOAs toward smarter behavior, the network positions itself as a high‑efficiency data layer ready for the next wave of consumer‑grade applications.
Curvegrid will be tracking the Pectra testnets, client releases, and mainnet rollout. Stay tuned! If you’re building on Ethereum or an L2, drop us a line. We’re here to help you ship.
Chat with us: contact@curvegrid.com
Further Reading
- 📜 EIP‑4844: Proto‑Danksharding spec
- 📜 EIP‑7691 & EIP‑7623: Blob capacity & calldata repricing
- 📜 EIP‑7702: Temporary smart‑contract wallets
- 🛠️ Binance Academy: “What Is the Ethereum Pectra Upgrade?”
- 🎥 Jeff Wentworth @ ETHTaipei: “Who’s Blob?”
- 📝 More ETHTaipei Takeaways
Last updated: 2 May 2025
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