Recently, the Ethereum Foundation released a strategic document called Strawmap that discusses protocol evolution through 2029. This is quite interesting because it signals a shift toward a more measured and predictable upgrade schedule. So what exactly does a fork mean in this context? In short, a fork is a network upgrade that changes the protocol rules. In this roadmap, about seven network forks are planned to be carried out regularly every six months. Ethereum researcher Justin Drake is leading this initiative with a focus on three main pillars: scalability, user experience, and long-term security.

What’s most exciting is the ambitious performance targets. Ethereum aims for what is called Gigagas—basically reaching one billion gas per second on the Layer 1 mainnet. For context, this means around 10,000 transactions per second solely on L1 through zkEVM integration. Zero-knowledge technology enables much faster verification of computations without sacrificing decentralization. Meanwhile, for Layer 2, the Teragas target is 10 million TPS across the rollup ecosystem with Data Availability Sampling implementation.

From a user perspective, this could mean transaction fees that are nearly zero and dApp experiences comparable to traditional web applications. But security aspects are equally important. The roadmap emphasizes transitioning to post-quantum cryptography as a top priority—this is a defensive step to prepare for the quantum computer era. Additionally, there are plans for native privacy on L1 with protected ETH transfer features, allowing users to conduct transactions with better privacy directly on the protocol without third-party tools.

This new fork structure—one upgrade every six months with limited scope—is designed to reduce complexity and provide a clear timeline. Each fork focuses on several key improvements, whether in the consensus layer or execution layer. This is very different from previous ad-hoc approaches. The Ethereum Foundation describes Strawmap as a living document, not a rigid blueprint. This means there is room for community feedback and new research breakthroughs that could change priorities.

There are three main workflows organizing all these forks: Scale (improving L1 and L2 throughput), Improve UX (reducing finality times and simplifying for developers), and Harden L1 (quantum security and protocol-level privacy). Early forks like Glamsterdam and Hegotá will lay the foundation for bigger goals. So overall, the meaning of a fork here is a series of coordinated transformation stages toward a truly scalable and private Ethereum. This 2029 roadmap shows that Ethereum is serious about maintaining its position as the leading smart contract platform while addressing existing technical hurdles.