Ethereum's core developers are preparing for the much-anticipated Pectra upgrade in the first quarter of 2025. Initially projected for late 2024, the launch of Pectra was postponed due to the inclusion of EOF, the next phase of the Ethereum (ETH) network upgrade after Dencun.
For the upgrade, the developers have agreed to replace the account abstraction EIP-3074 with the more sophisticated EIP-7702, introduced by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. The proposal facilitates Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) to operate as smart contract wallets during transactions, streamlining user interactions and fortifying security protocols.
A standout feature of the Pectra upgrade is PeerDAS. Designed to address Ethereum's scalability issues, PeerDAS is a data availability sampling tool that uses the ETH network's P2P components to fortify its network's resilience and performance.
Pectra will also integrate the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Object Format (EOF), a facility that encompasses 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). This development aims to refine the EVM code through an opt-in container system.
While the precise scope of Pectra remains subject to ongoing deliberation, specific proposals, such as the integration of Verkle trees, may be deferred to a subsequent hard fork named Osaka.
