Ethereum could operate at double its current speed thanks to a proposal from core developer Barnabé Monnot, reducing the network's slot time from 12 seconds to 6 seconds. The Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7782 is likely to be integrated into the upcoming "Glamsterdam" upgrade expected in 2026.
According to an article on June 20 by Monnot on Ethereum Magicians, shortening the slot time will help the Ethereum blockchain reduce transaction confirmation times and add new blocks to the mainnet. Thus, performance and user experience on decentralized applications (dApps), wallets, and DeFi protocols will reach a new height.
Halve the slot time, faster confirmation
Ethereum is currently operating on a 12-second slot cycle. With the new proposal, this time is reduced to 6 seconds, meaning the number of blocks created per minute will double.
Monnot asserts that this speed increase helps keep data updated faster, enhancing user experience with instant transaction confirmations. In particular, the DeFi sector will benefit from smaller arbitrage windows, reduced transaction costs, and significantly improved liquidity.
"For proof markets, work can be extensively parallelized, allowing a single logical prover to receive auxiliary signals from multiple other provers. Reducing slot time means more opportunities to compete for proving a block in the same timeframe," he wrote.
The proposal divides the 6-second slot into three smaller phases: 3 seconds for block proposals, 1.5 seconds for attestations, and 1.5 seconds for aggregation. This way, the overall functionality of the slot is preserved while increasing bandwidth at the protocol layer.
Ether developers assert that this change does not affect the overall issuance for validators. However, stakers will receive smaller rewards but with higher frequency, reducing profit volatility and weakening the incentive for staking pools. This benefits individual stakers or home operators struggling with the current unstable profits.
Trade-offs and technical challenges
Monnot notes that the shorter slot time forces developers to integrate conditional logic in Ethereum clients and related infrastructure to ensure backward compatibility.
Ethereum has been operating with a 12-second slot since transitioning to Proof-of-Stake, thus needing to replay old blocks with consistent timing. Some systems will need to switch from measuring in seconds to milliseconds, similar to on-chain Gnosis.
"Some clients begin building blocks as soon as the slot opens. With a 3-second limit for the proposal phase, slight delays can severely impact block production time," he explained.
Nevertheless, the block production time ratio within a slot increases relatively, from 4 seconds on the current 12 seconds, to 3 seconds on the new 6 seconds model.
Increase speed and pre-confirmation mechanisms
The Ethereum development community is still debating between increasing Layer 1 throughput and optimizing transaction finality speed. Monnot acknowledges that short slots do not directly expand gas capacity but enhance chain responsiveness.
The preconfirmation mechanism – fast temporary confirmation outside the core protocol – is an option, but Monnot stated that developers prioritize improvements within the protocol such as EIP-7782.
One of the most complex tasks is updating client software and infrastructure tools like block explorers to be compatible with both the old 12-second and the new 6-second slots. Developers must ensure the client applies correct processing logic based on the type of block being processed — historical or current. As of now, the detailed scope for these changes is still incomplete.
Source: https://tintucbitcoin.com/ethereum-buoc-ngoat-block-6-giay-nhanh/
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