Key Takeaways:
- Ethereum’s EIP-7782 proposes reducing slot times from 12 to 6 seconds, aiming to double block production and improve transaction speed by the Glamsterdam upgrade in 2026.
- Faster slots could enhance user experience, liquidity, and DeFi efficiency, while complicating censorship and improving onchain data freshness.
- The proposal introduces tighter timing constraints that may challenge validators and require significant network testing before deployment.
Ethereum core developer Barnabé Monnot has proposed reducing Ethereum’s slot time from 12 seconds to 6 seconds, as outlined in Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7782.
The change would double the number of blocks produced and is being considered for the Glamsterdam upgrade, expected in 2026.
ETHEREUM MAY BECOME TWICE AS FAST—DEV FLOATS NEW PROPOSAL
— BSCN (@BSCNews) June 24, 2025
– Ethereum dev Barnabé Monnot has proposed halving the network’s slot time from 12 seconds to 6 seconds to speed up transactions and improve user experience.
Key Details:
– The change is outlined in Ethereum Improvement… pic.twitter.com/eze1O24lCh
The goal is to improve transaction confirmation speeds, enhance the user experience, and increase Ethereum’s “service price” – its value as a fast and reliable settlement layer.
Shorter slot times would benefit users by making wallets and DApps more responsive, ensuring quicker transaction inclusion and fresher onchain data.
In decentralized finance (DeFi), it would lead to faster price updates, lower arbitrage risks, and improved trading efficiency through greater liquidity.
However, the change introduces risks. Validators with slower connections might struggle with tighter timing, and increased bandwidth requirements could raise the chance of network congestion.
EIP-7782 also proposes shortening subslot duties: block proposal time, attestation time, and aggregation time would all be reduced.
Monnot acknowledged the tradeoffs but emphasized the potential for a significant leap in network performance.
With proper testing, this proposal could be a key step in Ethereum’s scalability and competitiveness moving forward.