What’s Next for Post-Merge Ethereum?

This is an OKX — Okcoin research partnership. Adam Bloom is a Content Writer, podcaster, and yield farmer based in Los Angeles.

Now that Ethereum has completed the Merge, it’s time to prepare for the next set of upgrades: the Surge, Verge, Purge, and Splurge.

TL;DR

Ethereum’s Merge transitioned the network from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS), boosting energy efficiency by 99%.
The Merge sets the stage for scalability, speed, and decentralization upgrades, targeting 100k transactions per second (TPS).
Key future upgrades include sharding (Surge), stateless clients (Verge), ledger pruning (Purge), and miscellaneous optimizations (Splurge).

The Merge Recap

Ethereum’s shift to PoS reduces ETH issuance dramatically—potentially by 90%—akin to Bitcoin’s "triple halving." Combined with EIP-1559’s fee-burning mechanism, ETH supply could become deflationary.

👉 Why ETH’s supply dynamics matter

Vitalik’s Ethereum Roadmap

Ethereum’s next upgrades will roll out in parallel, focusing on:

1. The Surge: Scaling via Sharding

Problem: Mainnet congestion and high gas fees.
Solution: Introduce 64 shard chains to offload transactions to Layer 2.
Outcome: Throughput could hit 100k TPS, with 90% lower fees.

👉 Layer 2 protocols to watch

2. The Verge: Stateless Clients

Upgrade: Replace Merkle trees with Verkle trees for compact proofs.
Benefit: Validators require less data, enabling smartphone nodes and greater decentralization.

3. The Purge: Reducing Historical Data

EIP-4444: Nodes no longer need to store the entire ledger (currently 1020 GB).
Goal: Lower hardware requirements for validators.

4. The Splurge: Miscellaneous Upgrades

Focus: Bug fixes, security patches, and minor optimizations to support the broader roadmap.

FAQs

Q: When will Ethereum reach 100k TPS?
A: After the Surge (sharding) and Layer 2 integrations are complete—likely 2024–2025.

Q: How does EIP-1559 affect ETH supply?
A: By burning fees, it reduces ETH circulation, potentially making it deflationary.

Q: Can I run a validator on my phone post-Verge?
A: Yes! Stateless clients aim to enable mobile validation.

Final Thoughts

Ethereum’s roadmap transforms it from a speculative playground into a scalable world computer. While challenges remain, the upgrades promise cheaper, faster, and more decentralized Web3 infrastructure.