Ethereum Institute Backs Ethlabs 10-Second Block Proposal
The Ethereum Institute has signaled support for EIP-8198, a proposal to cut block times from 12 to 10 seconds. This move aims to address growing institutional activity on the network.
The Ethereum Institute signaled support for reducing Ethereum block times. The non-profit cited increasing institutional activity moving onto the smart-contract network. It urged developers to make the network faster.
Ethlabs published an article quoting 20 decentralized finance founders. These founders showed broad support for EIP-8198. The proposal seeks to reduce block times to 10 seconds from the current 12 seconds.
Competitors accelerate their own block times
Zcash token holders voted to cut their target block time to 25 seconds. This reduces the previous target of 75 seconds. Solana reduced its slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350 milliseconds in August.
The Solana Foundation plans to reduce slot times to 200 milliseconds. This change aims to improve latency and accelerate confirmations. These moves highlight a broader industry trend toward faster processing.
Hegotá upgrade timeline remains uncertain
EIP-8198 was authored in March and proposed for the Hegotá upgrade. Ethlabs is merging the proposal’s specifications with the main codebase. They are investigating downstream dependencies to include it in Hegotá’s scope.
Developer implementation follows Glamsterdam
Ethereum developers could begin implementing Hegotá in late 2026. This follows the Glamsterdam upgrade, designed to improve scalability and harden the mainnet. Cointelegraph reported that institutional pressure is driving these technical changes.
