On Thursday’s ethereum development call, developers discussed the next hard fork, “Dencun,” a name derived from a portmanteau of two simultaneous upgrades on the ethereum blockchain’s two main layers.
The execution layer, where all the protocol rules reside, will undergo the “Cancun” upgrade, while the consensus layer, which ensures blocks are validated, is called “Deneb”.
At the heart of Dencun is EIP4844, also known as “proto-danksharding,” a proposal to scale blockchains by increasing space for data “blobs,” changes that are also expected to reduce fees for layer 2 rollups.
Dencun is also expected to include a number of other technology upgrades, including EIP6780, 6475, and 1153.
The developers did not discuss the timing of the Dencun upgrade at this meeting, although they have said in the past that it is targeting a launch in the second half of 2023. The full picture of Dencun is expected to be determined in the next few weeks.