Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Faces Technical Issues on Sepolia Testnet

Ethereum’s highly anticipated Pectra upgrade has encountered unexpected issues on the Sepolia testnet, causing clients to struggle with including transactions in blocks. The upgrade was deployed on Sepolia on March 5, marking its final testnet phase before the scheduled mainnet launch on April 8.

According to Ethereum Foundation protocol support lead Tim Beiko, the team is currently investigating a problem caused by the custom deposit contract on Sepolia. Beiko revealed the issue on social media, stating,

“Well, seems like I jinxed it. We’re investigating an issue caused by the custom deposit contract on Sepolia. This has caused some EL clients to have issues including transactions in blocks.”

Technical Issues and Delays

The Pectra upgrade aims to improve ETH staking, layer 2 network scalability, and network capacity. However, the technical issues on Sepolia have raised concerns about the upgrade’s scheduled launch date. The Ethereum Foundation had previously reported that all significant issues regarding the upgrade had been resolved after the Holesky testnet encountered similar problems.

Lead Ethereum developer Terrence had shared the results of the final testnet, saying it had “just finalized with a perfect proposal rate.” However, the issues on Sepolia have cast doubt on the upgrade’s readiness for mainnet launch.

Key Features of the Pectra Upgrade

The Pectra upgrade consists of 11 separate Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) and is the first major upgrade for the network since the Dencun upgrade in March 2024. The upgrade aims to:

  • Improve ETH staking
  • Enhance layer 2 network scalability
  • Increase network capacity

As the Ethereum community awaits the outcome of the investigation, it remains to be seen whether the scheduled launch date will be met or further delayed.

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