Blob space shortage: Are Ethereum L2s on the verge of collapse?
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Blob space shortage: Are Ethereum L2s on the verge of collapse?
Expanding the issues is critical, otherwise users may switch to other platforms.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: gauthamzzz, Co-founder of polynomialfi
Translation: zhouzhou, BlockBeats
Editor's note: This article discusses the impending blob space shortage faced by Ethereum L2s. As L2 chains grow, multiple networks compete for limited blob storage, causing fees to surge and user costs to rise. Even increasing the number of blobs per block to six via the Pectra upgrade will only provide temporary relief, not a fundamental solution. Potential remedies include short-term Pectra upgrades, mid-term PeerDAS implementation, and long-term DA scaling—but it remains uncertain whether these solutions will arrive in time.
Below is the original content (slightly edited for clarity):
Ethereum L2s are approaching a bottleneck. Currently, just two chains consume 55% of all blob space. At the current growth rate, we’re only months away from total gridlock.
Here’s what’s happening
First, understand what’s breaking: Blobs = special storage for L2s. Current limit = 3 blobs per block. Reality = dozens of L2s competing for these 3 slots. It’s like a 3-lane highway where 50 rapidly growing cities are fighting for access.
Daily data clearly shows the issue—spikes in blob fees occur:
• During high transaction volume
• During airdrops
• When new L2s launch operations
Each spike = higher costs for users
Even the Pectra upgrade—which increases blob count to 6—won’t save us. At current growth rates, we’ll hit maximum capacity by May 2025. And that assumes growth stays constant. (Sidebar: Growth isn’t constant—it’s accelerating.)
The real challenge
Content: L2s are competing for limited blob space
Mechanism: Rising demand → higher base fees
Reason: Every transaction requires blob space
No L2-level optimization can solve this fundamental bottleneck.
Core developers recognize this as critical. Vitalik Buterin stated that increasing blob count from 3 to 6 is more important than all other Pectra upgrades combined. But doubling capacity only buys us months—not years—of relief.
Solutions in progress
Short-term: Double blob space (Pectra)
Mid-term: PeerDAS implementation
Long-term: Advanced DA scaling
But will they arrive before we hit the wall? This affects everyone:
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Higher trading costs on DEXs
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Perpetual protocols face soaring base fees
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Users pay more for basic transactions
At polynomialFi, our base fees have increased 300% over recent months.
Is there hope?
This crisis is emerging because people are actually using Ethereum L2s. But if we don’t act quickly, users may start migrating elsewhere.
Summary
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Blob space is nearing its limit
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The next crisis could hit within 6 months
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Urgent need for scaling solutions
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All L2 users are impacted
If you want Ethereum to scale, this is the battle to watch.
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