Ethereum, the giant in the world of blockchain, is set for some major upgrades in 2023. If you're not an expert, fear not! Here's a simplified guide to Ethereum's roadmap for the coming year.

1. The Merge: Green and Deflationary

The first big move happened in September 2022 with "The Merge." Ethereum shifted to a decentralized proof-of-stake consensus. What's the goal? Make Ethereum (ETH) more environmentally friendly, deflationary, and introduce sustainable staking rewards.

2. The Surge: Faster and Cheaper

Next on the list is "The Surge." Ethereum aims to increase transactions per second (TPS) to over 100,000. Why? To make Layer 2 solutions faster and more affordable for users. This opens up new possibilities and use cases dependent on high TPS.

3. The Scourge: Mitigating Centralization Concerns

With "The Scourge," Ethereum addresses concerns about centralization in its proof-of-stake design. Liquid staking and Layer 2 solutions faced criticism for affecting Ethereum's decentralization. This upgrade aims to fix that.

4. The Verge: Efficient and Scalable

"The Verge" focuses on making block verification simpler. The goal is to have more efficient data and node structures, reducing congestion on the network and allowing for easier scaling. This makes participation more accessible to the average user.

5. The Purge: Cleaning Up Old Data

"The Purge" simplifies the protocol by cleaning up old data, reducing technical debt, and lowering participation costs. This enhances overall network efficiency.

6. The Splurge: Fixing the Details

In "The Splurge," smaller updates ensure everything runs smoothly after the major upgrades. It's the fun part where Ethereum fine-tunes its system.

Bonus: Notable Proposals for 2023

EIP-4844 (Proto-Danksharding): Aims to cut rollups gas fees by up to 100x.
ERC-4337 (Account Abstraction): Enables gasless transactions and secure social logins.
EIP-1153 (Transient Storage Opcodes): Reduces gas costs and enhances smart contract capabilities.
EIP-5656 (MCOPY Opcode): Optimizes data copying, reducing gas fees.
EIP-6780 (Restrict SELFDESTRUCT): Manages state size and enhances network scalability.

This roadmap might take some time, but it's exciting to witness Ethereum's journey—from where it started, where it is now, to where it's heading in the future. Stay tuned for more blockchain magic!

Image source: The Block