Ethereum Closer to PoS After Successful Goerli Testnet Merge

Goerli has successfully transitioned to proof-of-stake following the network’s total block difficulty having crossed 10,079,000 on Wednesday.

by Sebastian Sinclair /

August 10, 2022 11:08 pm

Blockworks exclusive art by axel rangel

key takeaways

Ethereum’s third and final testnet has now successfully moved to proof-of-stake
The testnet Merge was not without hiccup, with some nodes getting stuck on the wrong chain

Ethereum testnet Goerli now switched to proof-of-stake (PoS), representing the third and final step before the long-anticipated Merge.

Goerli successfully transitioned to PoS shortly after the network’s total block difficulty crossed 10,079,000 at around 9:45 pm ET.

Newsletter

Subscribe to Blockworks Daily

Two other testnets — Ropsten and Sepolia — ditched proof-of-work (PoW) over the past two months, with Goerli’s version of the Merge only going ahead as those were successful.

According to Ethereum developer Marius van der Wijden, confusion arose on the network due to two separate and unique terminal blocks. There was also “lots of non-updated nodes,” leading to an unexpected delay. The Merge was anticipated to go live earlier in the day.

Loading Tweet..

Despite those initial speed bumps, the testnet appears to be operating as intended. The advent follows a successful upgrade to Goerli’s beacon chain, Bellatrix, earlier this year.

Ethereum’s blockchain has now edged closer to a full transition to PoS in what is known as the Merge, designed to pivot the chain to a more environmentally and energy-efficient protocol.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has been pushing the idea of converting Ethereum to PoS since 2015.

The Merge is likely to culminate in mid-September, according to proponents.

Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Newsletter

Blockworks Daily

Upcoming Events

Digital Asset Summit 2025

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

learn more

recent research

Research

Analyst Takes: Post-Election Insights

With the recent election, it’s clear that there will be a meaningful shift in crypto regulations and legislation. Trump is likely as pro-crypto as a president can be. He launched (multiple) of his own NFT collections and is launching an Aave wrapper called World Liberty Fi. He has also spoken out and mentioned that he wants to make the United States "the crypto capital of the planet" and transform it into the "Bitcoin superpower of the world". He proposed creating a strategic national Bitcoin stockpile alongside support from Senator Cynthia Lummis, promising to retain 100% of all Bitcoin held by the U.S. government. More importantly, we’re likely to see deregulation across the board in a lot of industries, with crypto being one of them - as Trump has committed to keeping the crypto market largely unregulated. Crypto, DeFi in particular, has historically been knee-capped by overreaching and hostile governmental agencies and regulation by enforcement, as evidenced by the plethora of Wells notices and lawsuits over the past few years. With Donald Trump winning the presidency, Republicans taking control of the Senate, and being on the verge of securing the House, we think it’s likely that crypto realizes positive regulatory clarity. Below, you can find our analysts’ takes:

by Boccaccio