Checkpoint #4: Berlinterop

Ethereum’s latest “Checkpoint” update, dubbed Berlinterop, brought together core developers and researchers for a week-long hacking sprint in Berlin. The goal? To push forward both near-term upgrades and long-term protocol research. This collaborative deep-dive focused on improving Ethereum’s scalability, resilience, and efficiency—laying the groundwork for a more robust global infrastructure.

Key Ideas

Developers made tangible progress on the Fusaka upgrade, launching new devnets and preparing for a Sepolia testnet release. They also reached consensus on safely increasing gas limits after rigorous stress-testing and client optimization.
Long-term research explored slot restructuring, history expiry, and hardening the Consensus Layer. Feedback from L2 and ZK teams emphasized the need for more blobs, faster finality, and zkEVM-aligned scaling strategies.

Now is the time to build L2 solutions that capitalize on Ethereum’s scaling roadmap. Faster finality and zkEVM compatibility could be the edge in delivering next-gen user experiences.