What Is Glamsterdam, and Why Did Ethereum Just Delay Its Testnet Launch?

(CRYPTO: ETH) Developers have paused the rollout of Glamsterdam, the network’s upcoming major upgrade, just four days before it was scheduled to go live on the Hoodi test network. The Ethereum Foundation announced the delay on October 22, 2026, in a post titled “Glamsterdam on Hoodi Postponed.” They have not set a new activation date.

The delay is primarily due to one proposal known as EIP-8037, which aims to change how Ethereum prices gas. Developers need additional time to analyze how this change interacts with existing smart contracts on Ethereum’s main network. Meanwhile, ETH is trading at $2,388, reflecting an 11% drop in October, indicating that the coin was already facing challenges before this news broke.

Glamsterdam Reshapes Block Building and Speeds Up Validation

According to the Foundation’s October 16 announcement, Glamsterdam combines two upgrades to enhance Ethereum’s performance. The first, called Amsterdam, changes how Ethereum processes transactions, while Gloas revises how validators—computers that propose and confirm new blocks on the blockchain—reach consensus.

Glamsterdam’s standout feature is enshrined proposer-builder separation (EIP-7732), which divides block production into two distinct roles. A specialized builder collects transactions, and a validator then proposes the completed block. By incorporating this division into Ethereum’s core rules, the Foundation argues that it reduces reliance on trusted middleware and gives validators more time to verify each block.

The second feature, block-level access lists (EIP-7928), records which accounts and storage locations a block interacts with. This change lets node software validate transactions in parallel, like a grocery store opening more checkout lanes to speed up service. Together, these enhancements are expected to improve Ethereum’s overall transaction capacity while keeping node operation feasible.

EIP-8037 Changes Gas Pricing, and Hoodi Was the Final Test

Gas refers to the fees that Ethereum charges for computation and storage on its network. EIP-8037 aims to increase and separately measure the cost of creating state—where “state” refers to the permanent record of balances, contracts, and data maintained by each node. EIP-8038 further updates the cost of reading that state, with the intention of controlling the growth of the database as Ethereum’s transaction volume increases.

A testnet is a simulated version of Ethereum where tokens have no real value, allowing developers to experiment with upgrades without risking actual funds. Glamsterdam is a hard fork, meaning that all nodes must switch to the new rules simultaneously. It went live on the Sepolia testnet on October 6, with Hoodi set to follow, including an increase in the gas limit to 200 million, which the delay has now also removed.

A ChainSecurity Finding Delayed the Hoodi Launch

The security firm ChainSecurity released an analysis on October 13, warning that the combination of EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 could alter how contracts behave when they run out of gas. Their report highlighted that this change could make a retryable operation fail permanently, even if the contract code remains unchanged. A transaction that used to fail gracefully and could be retried might now lock in a negative outcome instead.

Although ChainSecurity focuses on identifying risks as part of its auditing business, core developers evaluated this finding during the All Core Devs Execution call #248 and opted to delay the upgrade. Christine D. Kim, founder of research firm Protocol Watch, noted on X that ChainSecurity-highlighted security concerns drove the cancellation.

The Foundation had previously flagged potential risks. An August 24 testing guide indicated that Glamsterdam’s gas repricings “could affect a small number of smart contracts,” and ChainSecurity identified one specific scenario that could potentially disrupt existing code.

Ethereum’s December Mainnet Dates Are Now in Doubt

The Foundation has not provided a new date for the Hoodi launch or for the eventual mainnet activation. They also did not indicate whether EIP-8037 will be revised or discarded. A minor adjustment could keep the timeline tight, while a significant redesign would require new coding, testing, and potentially several more weeks. The Foundation’s statement clarifies that Ethereum mainnet users and ETH holders need no immediate action.

This delay raises doubts about the proposed mainnet launch dates of December 1, 8, and 9, which were previously discussed as contenders for activation if Hoodi proceeded smoothly. Some analysts now question whether a December launch is still viable. Glamsterdam has experienced delays before; developers initially targeted a June 2026 launch, then postponed it to the fourth quarter.

How Does the Glamsterdam Delay Affect ETH’s Price?

ETH closed at $2,472 on October 21 and dropped to $2,386 on October 22, marking a 3.5% decline on the day the news was announced. However, it’s difficult to attribute this drop solely to the Glamsterdam delay, as broader market trends had already driven ETH down 11% in October. Historically, previous Ethereum upgrades haven’t always boosted the price. It appears this safety-first pause ultimately serves the network but delays one of ETH’s key anticipated catalysts.

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