The cap on individual transactions aims to improve block efficiency, reduce DoS risks and lay the groundwork for parallel execution in future upgrades like Glamsterdam.
Ethereum is entering the final testnet phase of its Fusaka upgrade, the last major step before its expected mainnet rollout on Dec. 3. The update introduces a per-transaction gas cap of roughly 16.78 million units to enhance block efficiency and prepare the network for parallel execution.
The change, already active on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets, is designed to prevent single transactions from consuming an entire block’s gas. Previously, a single transaction could use up to the full block gas limit of around 45 million, posing potential denial-of-service risks and limiting scalability.
A gas cap limits how much processing power a single transaction can use, ensuring no transaction can monopolize an entire block, and allowing the network to handle activity more evenly.