Large Ethereum validators, controlling at least 14% of the total stake in the network, have begun testing OptimumP2P, a new high-performance memory layer. This system promises to improve data transmission speeds by up to 10 times, aiming to address one of Ethereum's main bottlenecks: the network layer.

OptimumP2P: A solution for Ethereum's network layer congestion

Kiln, P2P.org, Everstake, Blockdaemon, Infstones, Luganodes, and Ebunker are the validators participating in the OptimumP2P testnet. This new system introduces a technology application developed by MIT for Ethereum. Muriel Médard, co-founder and CEO of Optimum, explains that Ethereum's current network layer primarily relies on traditional 'gossip' protocols, where data (such as new blocks, transactions) is shared through a peer-to-peer system. This occurs when one node sends data to a few connected nodes, which then continue to forward it to other nodes until the message reaches the entire network.

Although Ethereum continuously improves its execution and consensus layers, it still faces a limitation and bottleneck: the network layer. The way data is transmitted between nodes causes latency and bandwidth waste, especially as data sizes increase.

Currently, Ethereum shares data between nodes using Gossipsub, a protocol built on libp2p. However, this system sends the same message to many nodes multiple times, leading to inefficiencies and slower transmission speeds.

OptimumP2P addresses these limitations by utilizing a networking technology called Random Linear Network Coding. This technology combines multiple pieces of data into encoded packets. Each packet contains just enough information so that, once a sufficient number of unique packets are received, the original data can be reconstructed, even if some packets are missing.

Significant performance improvements and deployment plans

Initial test results show significant performance improvements compared to the current system:


Latency is reduced by 10 times under high traffic conditions.
Stable performance with messages up to 10MB (compared to Gossipsub's 4MB limit).
No message loss in stressful scenarios.

In total, validators testing OptimumP2P represent at least 14% of the total stake on Ethereum, according to data from Rated Labs. Optimum plans to deploy OptimumP2P on Ethereum's Hoodi testnet this summer, with the potential to scale to other Layer 1 blockchains after the initial deployment. #Ethereum #anhbacong