The long-awaited update to the Ethereum network will happen in less than two months. According to the date informed by the developers, The Merge is scheduled for September 19, 2022.
While the date is set, it will all depend on how the network evolves in the coming weeks. The Merge update is intended to move Ethereum to a new data validation protocol.
Ethereum developers talked about The Merge during a video conference last week. The proposal is to reduce the carbon footprint generated by data mining on the network by up to 99%.
Until now, Ethereum works through a proof-of-work mechanism. But with the upgrade, the network will offer another protocol, proof-of-stake, which will dispense with mining.
The September 19 date for the integration of The Merge was suggested by Tim Beiko, who is part of the Ethereum Foundation and is considered one of the network’s leading developers.
Since 2021, the update of the Ethereum network has been delayed in the crypto market. This time, a new date has been set with the advancement of the proof-of-stake protocol integration tests.
Before integrating the mechanism into the main network, proof-of-stake was inserted into Ethereum’s test networks. So far, Ropsten and Sepolia have already received the new data validation protocol.
The next test net due to receive proof-of-stake is Goerli. Therefore, the integration date for this test net has been set for August 11, 2022.
As such, the insertion of the Goerli proof-of-stake indicates the final phases before Ethereum receives the mechanism. Every day, the Ethereum network emits 130,000 tons of carbon through mining.
