Ethereum: A Key Adoption Indicator Reaches a Record High

The Ethereum crypto ecosystem has just reached a new peak in its recent history. Since September 3, 2026, the demand for blobs (these cheap data spaces used by rollups) has reached unprecedented levels. This performance attests to a growing adoption of layer 2 solutions. But that's not all! It also validates Ethereum's scalability strategy while reviving a less visible issue: the funding of its developers.

In brief

• Ethereum has set a new record for the usage of its blobs, averaging 6.7 per block daily.
• Demand now exceeds the peaks observed at the end of 2025, driven by rollups.
• The crypto network is operating at only 40-50% of its current target of 14 blobs per block.
• Four capacity increases have occurred since Dencun; a fifth is under consideration.
• Funding for client teams remains a bottleneck according to Protocol Guild.

Why is Ethereum reaching 6.7 blobs per block?

On September 3, Trent Van Epps, a former member of the Ethereum Foundation and organizer of Protocol Guild, reported a three-day moving average of 5.9 blobs per block. The daily average even reached 6.7, (which is significantly above the previous peaks at the end of 2025).

In Ethereum's technical jargon, a blob refers to a cheap temporary storage space introduced by the Dencun upgrade (EIP-4844 standard) in 2024. Rollups are Layer 2 (L2) crypto networks like Arbitrum, Optimism, or Base. They deposit their batches of transactions there before having them validated by Ethereum's main chain.

The principle is simple: the higher the number of blobs used per block, the greater the activity passing through Ethereum's data availability layer.

This record means that Layer 2s are publishing more batches of transactions in Ethereum's data layer. Each blob contains 4,096 elements of 32 bytes, or about 128 KiB. At 6.7 units, the theoretical volume approaches 858 KiB per block.

How has Ethereum multiplied its capacity by 2.3?

After a low observed in spring 2026, the usage of blobs on Ethereum has started to rise again. Even better! It now exceeds the previous peaks recorded at the end of 2025.

In reality, Ethereum's blob capacity has continuously increased in successive steps since the launch of Dencun:

• 3/6 blobs (target/maximum) at the launch of Dencun in 2024;
• 6/9 blobs with the Pectra update;
• 10/15 blobs with the BPO1 step;
• 14/21 blobs with BPO2, which came into effect in January 2026 (the level currently in effect on Ethereum).

Thus, the Ethereum crypto network has 2.3 times more targeted capacity than before Fusaka. Blobs provide rollups with a cheaper way to publish data on Ethereum. The data from EIP-4844 disappears from nodes after 4,096 epochs, about 18 days. This lightens storage while maintaining their verifiability during the useful period.

However, the Ethereum crypto network is still far from saturation. Indeed, current activity represents only 40 to 50% of the active target. This target is set at 14 blobs per block. The ceiling of 21 constitutes the technical limit per block. This margin still protects rollup transaction fees from a structural surge.

Analysis: Ethereum is busy, but not yet full.

What is at stake with the next capacity increase on the crypto blockchain?

The question now stirring Ethereum's crypto developers is the timing of a fifth increase towards a target of 21/32 blobs. For some, more blobs mean lower transaction fees for rollups and their users. The trade-off? An increased bandwidth load for Ethereum node operators.

For others, the bottleneck could become human. According to Trent Van Epps, for example, the funding of client teams running Ethereum remains insufficient given the size of the network. In June, the development of Ethereum's core required about $30 million annually. Protocol Guild is said to have distributed nearly $40 million over four years, which is not enough on its own. Thus, expanding data availability depends as much on human resources as on code.

In any case, this record usage of blobs on Ethereum confirms the growing adoption of rollups. The next catalyst to watch: the outcome of the debate on an increase to 21/32 blobs.