Key facts
- Ethereum Institutional supports reducing Ethereum block times to 10 seconds from 12 seconds.
- The proposal, EIP-8198 or “Quick Slots,” aims to improve network speed and competitiveness.
- Ethlabs is merging the proposal’s specifications with the main codebase for the Hegotá upgrade.
- Zcash token holders backed cutting their network’s target block time to 25 seconds.
- Solana reduced its slot time to 350ms and plans further reduction to 200ms.
Ethereum Institutional has publicly backed a proposal to shorten block times on the Ethereum network, aiming to enhance its speed and competitiveness amid growing institutional adoption. The non-profit organization stated on X that reducing block times is necessary as "more institutional activity moves onchain."
This support aligns with Ethlabs' efforts to implement EIP-8198, known as “Quick Slots,” which seeks to initially decrease Ethereum’s block time from 12 seconds to 10 seconds. The proposal has garnered support from 20 decentralized finance (DeFi) founders, according to an article published by Ethlabs. Ethlabs is currently integrating the proposal's specifications into the main codebase for the upcoming Hegotá upgrade, which is slated for late 2026.
Other blockchain networks are also pursuing similar initiatives to speed up transaction processing. Zcash token holders recently voted in favor of reducing their network’s target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. Solana has also made strides in reducing its slot time, first from 400 milliseconds to 350ms, with plans to further decrease it to 200ms to improve latency and confirmation speeds.