Ethereum Institutional signals support for Ethlabs’ motion to reduce Ethereum block times
Reported by Cointelegraph · AI-assisted summary by ChikoCorp AI News Desk
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Summary
Ethereum Institutional has expressed support for Ethlabs’ proposal to reduce Ethereum block times from 12 seconds to 10 seconds through EIP-8198, called “Quick Slots.” Ethlabs and several DeFi founders back this motion as part of efforts to make Ethereum faster amid competition from other blockchain networks. The proposal is being considered for inclusion in the Hegotá upgrade, potentially deployable in late 2026.
Why it matters
According to Ethereum Institutional, reducing block times is necessary to support increasing institutional activity on Ethereum and enhance network performance. Faster block times could improve transaction throughput and competitiveness relative to other blockchains pursuing similar speed improvements.
Key context
EIP-8198 was authored in March and proposed during the Ethereum core developers meeting on August 6. Ethlabs plans to merge the proposal with the main codebase and explore downstream dependencies to include it in the Hegotá upgrade scope. Other networks like Zcash and Solana are also reducing block or slot times to improve speed and latency.
Key numbers and entities
Ethereum Institutional, Ethlabs, 20 DeFi founders, EIP-8198 (“Quick Slots”), Hegotá upgrade, Glamsterdam upgrade. Current Ethereum block time is 12 seconds, proposed reduction to 10 seconds. Zcash target block time reduction from 75 to 25 seconds. Solana slot time reduced from 400ms to 350ms.
What remains unclear
The source does not detail the technical challenges or potential risks associated with reducing Ethereum’s block times. The exact timeline and final decision-making process for adopting EIP-8198 in Hegotá remain unspecified. The potential impact on Ethereum miners or validators is not addressed.