Today's trending news and Ethereum (ETH) market analysis based "heavy" trending article is here for you. At this moment, Ethereum has become the central star of the crypto market due to its new "Proto-Danksharding" technology, Layer-2 scalability solutions, and institutional adoption.
Ethereum's New Era: Can Proto-Danksharding and Layer-2 Power Push it Towards $6,000?
Today, on February 1, 2026, Ethereum (ETH) is the top choice for both investors and developers due to its continuous innovation and strong network. Its "programmable money" capabilities and rapidly expanding ecosystem give it a distinctive position in the market compared to Bitcoin.
1. Impact of Proto-Danksharding (EIP-4844)
Ethereum's Proto-Danksharding (EIP-4844) update has brought revolutionary changes in network scalability and efficiency.
Data Blobs: This update has introduced "data blobs," which allow Layer-2 rollups to store data at lower costs.
Lower Gas Fees for Layer-2s: As a result, transaction fees on Layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync, and Starknet have seen a significant decrease. These Layer-2s have become even more accessible to regular users.
Increased Throughput: Proto-Danksharding has indirectly increased the throughput (transactions per second) of Ethereum mainnet, as Layer-2s can now process more data at lower costs.
2. Expansion and Strengthening of Layer-2 Ecosystem
Ethereum's future heavily relies on Layer-2 solutions. In 2026, we see that Layer-2s have not only become bridges but complete ecosystems:
Arbitrum and Optimism: These "Optimistic Rollups" are popular due to their development and user-friendly interfaces. They are filled with DeFi, NFTs, and gaming projects.
