Ethereum educator Anthony Sassano has described the network’s plan to increase its gas limit to 180 million next year as a baseline target rather than a ceiling. The comments came during an interview on the Bankless podcast on Friday, following Ethereum’s recent gas limit increase from 45 million to 60 million.
“The 180 million is the floor, the minimum—I think we can go higher than that,” Sassano said. He noted that Ethereum’s core developers and researchers have generally agreed on a goal of at least a threefold increase in the gas limit over the next couple of years. Some developers are even considering a potential fivefold increase within the next year, underscoring Ethereum’s ambition to boost network capacity.
How Ethereum Could Reach Higher Gas Limits
A higher gas limit allows Ethereum to accommodate more work per block, including token transfers, swaps, and smart contract calls. Sassano explained that the network could achieve this by repricing transactions—reducing the cost of some operations while increasing others.
“We can lower the cost of a basic ETH transfer from 21,000 gas to 6,000 gas, which is an over 70% cost reduction, while keeping the gas limit the same,” he said. By redistributing transaction costs in this manner, Ethereum could support significantly higher gas limits without compromising network performance.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has also advocated for a fivefold increase, suggesting higher fees for operations that are “relatively inefficient to process.” Sassano emphasized that this strategy essentially trades certain efficiencies to expand overall network capacity.
Fusaka Upgrade: The Next Step for Ethereum
Sassano, along with Ethereum core developer Ben Adams, co-authored an Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) targeting inclusion in the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade, slated for the first half of 2026.
The recent increase to a 60 million gas limit received strong support, with over 513,000 validators approving the change. Adams highlighted the rapid progress on social media, noting, “The Ethereum gas limit debate went from 'too risky' to 'already live' in under a year.” Echoing this sentiment, Ethereum developer Toni Wahrstätter added, “That’s a 2× increase in a single year—and it’s only the beginning.”
The increase comes ahead of the Fusaka upgrade, which aims to enhance Ethereum’s scalability. The upgrade entered the Hoodi testnet on October 29, marking the final testing phase before its mainnet launch on December 3.
With these developments, Ethereum is positioning itself to handle greater transaction volumes and pave the way for improved efficiency and scalability across its blockchain ecosystem.