Ethereum’s highly anticipated Pectra mainnet upgrade, originally planned for April 2025, has been delayed as developers wait for further testing on the Hoodi testnet.
The decision was made during Ethereum’s All Core Developers Consensus Call (ACDC) #153 on March 20, highlighting the team’s cautious approach to ensuring a smooth transition.
Why Was the Pectra Upgrade Delayed?
🔹 Instead of setting a firm mainnet launch date, developers want to monitor Pectra’s performance on Hoodi.
🔹 Hoodi will go live with Pectra testing on March 26, allowing developers to check for any issues.
🔹 Ethereum Protocol Support Lead Tim Beiko previously stated that Pectra would only launch at least 30 days after a successful Hoodi fork.
💡 Key takeaway? The delay isn’t unexpected—it’s all about making sure everything works flawlessly before the mainnet launch.
How Does History Expiry Affect the Delay?
Another reason for the delay is History Expiry, a cleanup process tied to Ethereum Improvement Proposal 6110 (EIP-6110).
📅 Originally planned for May 1, History Expiry involves changes to how Ethereum handles validator deposit history.
🛠 Since Pectra plays a key role in this, pushing back its launch means History Expiry also gets postponed.
What’s Next for Ethereum?
🔜 If testing on Hoodi goes well, developers will finalize a new mainnet launch date.
🛠 Meanwhile, work on Ethereum’s next major upgrade, Fusaka, is already underway.
Despite the delay, developers stress that thorough testing is crucial to prevent unexpected issues—especially when billions of dollars are at stake.
🚀 The Ethereum community will have to wait a bit longer, but a major upgrade is still on the way!
