ETH Shanghai Upgrade Postponed

The much-awaited ETH Shanghai hard fork upgrade, initially scheduled for late March, has been postponed by around two weeks by the Ethereum developers.

According to the announcement made during an Ethereum developer meeting on 2 March, the ETH Shanghai upgrade is expected to be released sometime in the first half of April. At the meeting, the core developers agreed that the hard fork would occur approximately two weeks after the Goerli testnet launch, scheduled for 14 March. The Goerli testnet will be the final rehearsal before implementing the hard fork on the mainnet.

According to Tim Beiko, the project coordinator and a core developer for Ethereum, it is customary to provide a minimum of two weeks' notice before implementing any changes to the mainnet.

Beiko explained that if the Goerli testnet launch proceeds smoothly and the developers agree to move on 16 March, the earliest the mainnet will be updated would be in the first week of April.

In a Twitter thread on 2 March, Beiko clarified that they still needed to set a specific date for the mainnet update. Still, they are likely to decide during the next developer meeting on 16 March, contingent on the success of the Goerli testnet.

What is the Shanghai Capella upgrade, and why is it essential?

The Shanghai Capella upgrade, also known as Shapella, which will be deployed on Goerli, represents the final opportunity for Ethereum clients and staking providers to verify that the Shanghai hard fork will function seamlessly when it goes live on the mainnet.

The eagerly awaited mainnet upgrade in Shanghai will enable Ethereum staked on the Beacon Chain to be withdrawn in stages. To maintain the security and stability of the network, the withdrawal of ETH will be dynamic. It will depend on the number of validators exiting at any given time. Since validators must complete a two-stage process involving an exit queue and a withdrawal period, the withdrawal process will occur gradually over time.

Around 17.1 million ETH, worth roughly $28 billion, has been staked on the Beacon Chain since the launch of the Ethereum consensus layer in December 2020. And the ETH Shanghai upgrade is predicted to benefit liquid staking providers, such as Lido, by bringing in more collateral. These platforms provide increased flexibility and yield opportunities for staked ETH, which could result in a rise in collateral deposited on them after the upgrade.