Ethereum (ETH) core developers confirmed "Hegota" as the network's next major upgrade following Glamsterdam during the final All Core Devs Execution call of 2025.
The decision was finalized on December 18 during call #226.
Regular developer calls resume January 5, when teams will finalize Glamsterdam's scope before shifting attention to Hegota later in 2026.
What Happened
The name blends "Bogota" (execution layer) and "Heze" (consensus layer), continuing Ethereum's tradition of combining Devcon host cities with star names.
Developers have not yet selected the headline Ethereum Improvement Proposal for Hegota.
That decision is expected in February 2026.
Early discussions focus on Verkle Trees, a key prerequisite for stateless clients that would reduce node storage requirements.
The upgrade would also address state and history expiry mechanisms.
The Ethereum Foundation recently warned about growing state bloat as the network's stored data expands.
Running nodes becomes more resource-intensive, putting pressure on decentralization.
Developers deferred several proposals from Glamsterdam that may be included in Hegota's scope.
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Why It Matters
Ethereum's gas limit recently reached 60 million in November 2025, marking a 2x increase from 30 million at the start of the year.
Developers plan to raise it to 80 million after the January 7 blob parameter hard fork.
The long-term target is 180 million by end of 2026.
Hegota fits into Ethereum's twice-yearly upgrade cadence established in 2025 with Pectra and Fusaka.
Glamsterdam is expected in the first half of 2026, with Hegota following later that year.
The upgrade aligns with "The Verge" phase of Ethereum's multi-stage roadmap.
Verkle Tree integration would enable broader network participation by lowering hardware requirements for node operators.
This contrasts with current trends showing Layer-2 rollups handled over 92% of Ethereum transactions in 2025.
State management improvements in Hegota could reduce the network's reliance on Layer-2 solutions while maintaining decentralization.
The naming announcement signals Ethereum's maturation from infrequent, sweeping hard forks to predictable, iterative improvements.
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