The Ethereum Foundation JavaScript team announced the launch of an early upgrade testnet from Shanghai called “Shandong”. The fully JavaScript-based testnet provides a set of Shanghai-considered EIPs for early client-side testing.
The Shanghai upgrade, using Shandong as a test network, is planned for 2023. This will be the first update to Ethereum since The Merge in September, when Ethereum switched from proof-of-work to a consensus process for proof-of-stake.
Some of the Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) being reviewed for inclusion in Shanghai may address some efficiency and scalability issues alleviating these concerns. EIP 4895 is perhaps the most anticipated proposal as it would allow users who place ether on Beacon Chain to withdraw their investment and any rewards earned over time.
Anyone that staked ether as part of the Beacon Chain’s validator procedure is currently unable to withdraw their stake or their rewards directly. Instead, anybody wishing to access such money must rely on liquidity tokens that represent their assets.
Also under consideration is EIP 4844, which adds proto-danksharding. The plan will allow more data to be processed on the network while lowering gas prices.
The EIP 3540 will handle the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) software for Ethereum smart contracts and connect to one of the EIPs included in the Ethereum London Update (EIP 3541). The proposal will enable separation of code and data, making future EVM updates easier.
The final list of eco-industrial parks to be included in the Shanghai Upgrade Assessment will be finalized over time. Parithos Jayanthi, DevOps Engineer at the Ethereum Foundation, said:
“I think it’ll be one of the major talking points once All Core Developers calls start again.”