The Merge is behind us — a historic milestone that transitioned Ethereum from energy-intensive proof-of-work (PoW) to efficient proof-of-stake (PoS), slashing its energy consumption by over 99%. But far from being the end of the road, this transformation marks the beginning of a new era in Ethereum’s evolution.
Now, the network is gearing up for a series of major upgrades: the Surge, the Verge, the Purge, and the Splurge. These aren’t just incremental tweaks — they’re foundational changes designed to make Ethereum faster, cheaper, more scalable, and more decentralized than ever before.
Experts predict that once fully implemented, Ethereum could handle up to 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) — a monumental leap from its current throughput of around 15 TPS.
Let’s break down what lies ahead.
The Merge: A Foundation for the Future
Ethereum’s shift to PoS wasn’t just about sustainability. It was a strategic move to lay the groundwork for future scalability and security improvements.
With PoS, Ethereum now relies on validators instead of miners. Validators stake ETH to participate in block production and consensus, earning rewards in return. Crucially, this new system drastically reduces the amount of new ETH issued each year.
Previously, Ethereum minted about 5 million ETH annually under PoW. Now, issuance follows a dynamic formula: 166 × √(total ETH staked). As more ETH is staked, issuance grows — but at a diminishing rate. The result? A potential 90% drop in annual ETH issuance, equivalent to three Bitcoin halvings — a scenario some have dubbed the “triple halving.”
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But supply reduction doesn’t stop there.
In 2021, Ethereum implemented EIP-1559, a protocol upgrade that introduced a fee-burning mechanism. Now, every time you pay gas fees, a portion of that ETH is permanently removed from circulation. Combine this with lower issuance, and Ethereum may soon become a deflationary asset — where more ETH is burned than created.
This dual force — reduced inflation and active supply destruction — positions ETH uniquely among digital assets.
The Surge: Scaling Through Sharding
Congestion on Ethereum’s mainnet has been a persistent issue. High gas fees during peak activity have made small transactions impractical for everyday use.
The solution? The Surge — Ethereum’s ambitious plan to scale via sharding.
Rather than increasing the load on the main chain (like some competing blockchains), Ethereum will offload transaction processing to Layer 2 solutions. The Surge introduces 64 shard chains, each acting as an independent data layer that can process transactions and store data off the mainnet.
Think of it like adding lanes to a highway — only instead of widening one road, Ethereum is building an entire network of parallel roads connected to the same destination.
These shards will feed bundled transaction data back to the mainnet through rollups — technologies like Optimism and Arbitrum that aggregate thousands of transactions into a single proof. This approach preserves Ethereum’s security while dramatically improving speed and cost-efficiency.
With full sharding, Ethereum could scale to 100,000 TPS, and Layer 2 transaction costs could drop by up to 90%. That means fees as low as a fraction of a cent, making microtransactions viable for social media interactions, gaming actions, or even tipping creators online.
In short, Ethereum could evolve from a platform for DeFi and NFTs into a true decentralized global computer powering everyday internet experiences.
The Verge: Stateless Clients and Lighter Nodes
As Ethereum scales, maintaining decentralization becomes even more critical. One challenge? The growing size and complexity of validator nodes.
Currently, nodes must store and verify the entire state of the network using Merkle trees — complex cryptographic structures that require significant computing power.
Enter the Verge: an upgrade shifting Ethereum from Merkle trees to Verkle trees.
Verkle trees allow nodes to validate transactions using only minimal data about the network state. This enables stateless clients — validators that don’t need to keep full state data locally.
Why does this matter?
Smaller, leaner nodes mean anyone can run a validator on less powerful hardware — even smartphones or embedded devices. This lowers the barrier to entry, encourages broader participation, and strengthens decentralization.
It’s not magic — it’s cryptography meeting practicality.
The Purge: Cleaning Up the Blockchain Bloat
Even with stateless clients, there’s another problem: data accumulation.
The Ethereum blockchain currently exceeds 1 terabyte in size and keeps growing. Running a full node requires massive storage capacity — a hurdle for average users.
That’s where the Purge comes in.
Proposed through EIP-4444, this upgrade would remove the requirement for nodes to store historical blockchain data indefinitely. Instead, old blocks could be pruned or archived externally without compromising network integrity.
The goal? To make running a node cheaper, faster, and more accessible. Vitalik Buterin has even expressed hope that one day, users could validate Ethereum transactions directly from their mobile phones.
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This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about ensuring Ethereum remains resilient and distributed, not dominated by well-funded institutions with server farms.
The Splurge: Polishing the Vision
“The Splurge” might sound like an afterthought — but it’s actually a catch-all term for smaller yet vital improvements that support the broader roadmap.
These include:
- Enhancements to consensus mechanics
- Improvements in peer-to-peer networking
- Better tooling for developers
- Further optimizations for rollups and Layer 2 integration
While less flashy than sharding or statelessness, these updates are essential for long-term stability and usability. Think of them as the fine-tuning after the major construction work — smoothing out rough edges so everything runs seamlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What comes after the Merge in Ethereum’s roadmap?
A: After the Merge, Ethereum is progressing through four key phases: the Surge (scaling via sharding), the Verge (stateless clients), the Purge (removing old data), and the Splurge (miscellaneous optimizations). Together, these aim to make Ethereum faster, cheaper, and more decentralized.
Q: Will Ethereum really reach 100,000 transactions per second?
A: That’s the target. While not immediate, full implementation of sharding and rollup-centric scaling could eventually enable Ethereum to process up to 100k TPS — a massive improvement over today’s 15 TPS.
Q: How does EIP-1559 affect ETH supply?
A: EIP-1559 burns a portion of every transaction fee (gas), permanently removing ETH from circulation. Combined with reduced issuance post-Merge, this can lead to deflationary pressure on ETH supply.
Q: Can I run an Ethereum node on my phone?
A: Not yet — but that’s the goal. With upgrades like the Verge (Verkle trees) and the Purge (data pruning), Ethereum aims to enable lightweight validation on everyday devices like smartphones.
Q: Are Layer 2 networks part of Ethereum?
A: Yes. Layer 2 solutions like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Polygon are built on top of Ethereum. They process transactions off-chain and submit proofs back to the mainnet, inheriting Ethereum’s security while offering lower fees and higher throughput.
Q: Is ETH becoming deflationary?
A: Potentially. With lower issuance from PoS and continuous burning from EIP-1559, ETH supply can shrink during periods of high network usage — making it deflationary under certain conditions.
Final Thoughts: Ethereum’s Next Chapter
We’re witnessing one of the most ambitious technical transformations in tech history. Ethereum isn’t just upgrading — it’s redefining what a blockchain can be.
From energy efficiency to scalability, from decentralization to user accessibility, each phase of the post-Merge roadmap addresses critical challenges head-on.
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The journey won’t be instant or easy. Some upgrades may take years. But if successful, Ethereum could emerge as the backbone of Web3 — a truly global, open, and accessible computing platform.
For now, take a breath. Celebrate how far we’ve come. Then get ready — because the next chapter of Ethereum has already begun.