Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 network supported by Coinbase, is preparing a significant upgrade to become faster, cheaper, and more decentralized.
Jesse Pollak, the lead developer of Base, posted the network's upgrade plan on X on 24/05/2024.
Base Aims to Reform Potentially Challenging Solana and Sui
The Coinbase CEO explains that these improvements will expand Base to meet the growing demands of both users and developers.
According to Pollak, the team is working to reduce transaction confirmation time to 200 milliseconds and keep network fees always below 0.01 USD.
These two goals are part of a broader plan to handle over 200 transactions per second in the short term. Pollak confirmed that Base ultimately aims to reach 1 million TPS.
Pollak also emphasized that Base is moving towards a more decentralized architecture. The plan includes transferring key protocol components, such as basic state transition logic, directly to Ethereum's Layer 1 through smart contracts.
This change will allow more independent developers and validators to shape the network's development.
Base is undergoing multiple infrastructure upgrades to support these improvements. The goal is to make it the most scalable and user-friendly Ethereum Layer 2 network.
An important part of the upgrade is Flashblocks, a system that allows near-instant "pre-confirmation blocks" to provide a faster and smoother user experience. The team has run tests on the testnet and expects to introduce the update on the mainnet in summer 2025.
The Coinbase-supported network also plans to expand its gas throughput. Base is aiming to increase from the current 25 million gas per second (Mgas/s) to 50 Mgas/s in Q2, ultimately reaching 250 Mgas/s by the end of the year. This will mark a 100-fold improvement over its initial capacity.
Pollak believes these upgrades will significantly improve Base's speed and efficiency. When fully deployed, they may position the network as a strong competitor to chains like Solana and Sui.
