Ethereum Core Developers Consensus Call #110: Key Updates on Deneb Upgrade and EIP 4844

Overview of ACDC Call #110

On June 1, 2023, Ethereum core developers convened for their 110th All Core Developers Consensus (ACDC) call, chaired by Ethereum Foundation researcher Danny Ryan. These bi-weekly meetings focus on coordinating changes to Ethereum's consensus layer (CL). Key discussions centered on upgrades for Deneb (CL) and Cancun (execution layer/EL), including pivotal adjustments to EIP 4844 specifications.

Deneb Upgrade: Pending Changes

Developers finalized minor updates to Deneb’s specifications ahead of Devnet #6, the sixth test network for EIP 4844. Two critical changes were highlighted:

Consensus Specifications PR #3391:
- Adds a data_gas_used field to EL blocks to resolve discrepancies in blob transaction gas price calculations.
Consensus Specifications PR #3392:
- Reduces the data_gas_used field size to a 64-bit unsigned integer (uint64) for consistency, aligning with EIP 7095.

Danny Ryan emphasized merging these changes swiftly to finalize Deneb’s release.

👉 Explore Ethereum’s latest upgrades for deeper insights into EIP implementations.

Key EIPs Under Consideration for Deneb

1. EIP 4788: Trust-Minimized CL Access

Proposed by Alex Stokes, this EIP enables smart contracts to access consensus layer data (e.g., validator balances) via a streamlined precompile storage method.
Update: Stokes will present a refined implementation during the June 8 ACDE call.

2. EIP 7045: Expanded Attestation Inclusion Window

Extends attestation inclusion slots from one epoch to the current and next epoch, enhancing chain security.
Originally discussed in ACDC #109.

3. Fixed Voluntary Exit Domains

Improves staking UX by making validator exit messages perpetually valid (proposed by Lodestar’s "Dapplion").

4. EIP 6988: Slashed Validator Exclusion

Prevents slashed validators from proposing blocks. Requires further review due to potential engineering complexities.

Ryan confirmed GitHub tracking for all Deneb EIPs and prioritized EIP 4844, 4788, 7045, and voluntary exit fixes.

Dankrad Feist’s Data Experiment: Implications for EIP 4844

Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist shared results from mainnet stress tests evaluating large-block processing capacity:

Findings:
- Blocks with 128 kB–1 MB of extra data propagated successfully without network instability.
- Metrics like bandwidth consumption and attestation rates remained normal, though a 1MB-block caused a single reorg.
Recommendations:
- Increase EIP 4844’s max blobs/block from 4 to 6.
- Reassess the 4-second block receipt deadline to accommodate growing data loads.

Feist noted, "People underestimate how much [blobs] will be used... several teams are building products needing this now."

Engine API Versioning Proposal

Mikhail Kalinin proposed simplifying Engine API specifications by enforcing a 1:1 mapping between method versions and supported data types.

Goal: Reduce complexity in future EL/CL communication.
Implementation: Start from Engine API v3, consolidating prior versions.

Lighthouse developer "EthDreamer" flagged potential tradeoffs, including deprecated method restrictions. Kalinin will draft a formal pull request for further discussion.

FAQ Section

1. What is EIP 4844?

EIP 4844 introduces blob-carrying transactions to scale Ethereum by reducing rollup costs, a cornerstone of the Deneb upgrade.

2. Why increase blobs per block from 4 to 6?

Feist’s experiments showed Ethereum’s capacity to handle larger blocks safely, meeting demand from L2 solutions.

3. How does EIP 4788 improve Ethereum?

It enables trustless access to CL data (e.g., validator stats), boosting transparency for dapps and smart contracts.

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Conclusion

ACDC #110 underscored Ethereum’s iterative progress toward Deneb/Cancun, with pivotal updates to EIP 4844 and consensus-layer enhancements. Asynchronous discussions on Discord and upcoming calls will refine these proposals further.