Ethereum Closer to PoS After Successful Goerli Testnet Merge

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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