Ethereum Risks Irrelevance Without Bold Scaling, Warns Foundation Researcher

Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist has issued a stark warning about the future of Ethereum, suggesting that the blockchain could become irrelevant within the next five to ten years if it doesn’t adopt bold scaling measures. In a recent post on the Ethereum Magicians forum, Feist emphasized that Ethereum must dramatically increase its capacity to stay competitive.

To address this challenge, Feist introduced Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7938, which recommends a 100x increase in the gas limit over the next four years. The proposed change would enable a significantly higher number of transactions per block, effectively scaling Ethereum’s throughput. While acknowledging that the proposal is “unconventional,” Feist insists that dramatic action is necessary to secure Ethereum’s long-term relevance.

Feist envisions scaling Ethereum up to 1,000x in the future. However, he also warned of the risks posed by liquidity fragmentation across layer-2 solutions, which could weaken Ethereum’s dominance and open the door for rival ecosystems to take the lead. Despite these concerns, Feist remains optimistic that Ethereum can scale effectively without compromising its core principles, including censorship resistance and verifiability.

The proposal and Feist’s comments come amid growing pressure on Ethereum to maintain its lead in a competitive smart contract platform landscape. As layer-2 networks and alternative blockchains continue to gain traction, the Ethereum community is facing tough questions about how to scale while preserving decentralization and security.

Feist’s EIP 7938 is likely to spark intense debate among developers and stakeholders, especially given its aggressive roadmap. However, his message is clear: Ethereum must evolve boldly or risk becoming obsolete.