Ethereum is experiencing a surge in the use of “blobs,” a data storage feature introduced in the Dencun upgrade earlier this year, signaling a significant shift towards Layer-2 solutions for more efficient and cost-effective blockchain transactions.
According to Hildobby’s Dune Analytics dashboard, the number of blobs posted on Ethereum has consistently exceeded 21,000 this month, matching the peak levels seen in March. Blobs are large data packages that allow for off-chain storage without congesting the Ethereum mainnet, unlike traditional call data that is stored permanently on-chain. This innovation helps scale the network by reducing the strain on the blockchain while still enabling secure transaction processing.
The rise in blob usage is indicative of the growing adoption of Layer-2 protocols such as Arbitrum, Optimism, and BASE. These protocols use blobs to group multiple transactions together, processing them off-chain before submitting them to the Ethereum main chain for final validation. As a result, Ethereum is becoming more efficient, faster, and less expensive to use, which is driving increased adoption.
“ETH and Layer-2 transactions are hitting new records, with a 40% increase compared to the summer. Meanwhile, blob usage has risen by approximately 20%, pushing fees for Layer-2 transactions to new highs,” noted Matthew Siegel, head of digital assets research at VanEck, in a tweet.
Blobspace, the area within Ethereum blocks allocated to store these blobs, is a vital part of this process. However, it comes with a cost that fluctuates based on network demand. Interestingly, the fees paid for blobspace, which are denominated in ether, are burned, thereby reducing the overall supply of the cryptocurrency. This burning mechanism challenges the notion that Layer-2 solutions might undermine the Ethereum mainnet.
Recently, blob fees surged to $80, the highest since March, and the average number of blobs posted in each block climbed to 4.3. Over the past seven days, blob fees have burned over 166 ETH, worth approximately $560,000, marking the ninth-largest burn in Ethereum’s history, according to ultrasound.money.
“As on-chain activity continues to rise, demand for blobspace is increasing, and the blob fee market is now undergoing price discovery,” Artemis, a blockchain analytics firm, stated in a newsletter. This growing demand for blobspace, along with the increasing use of Layer-2 solutions, suggests that Ethereum is well-positioned for long-term growth and scalability.
Ethereum’s price reflects this positive outlook, reaching a four-month high of $3,546 earlier this week, surpassing Bitcoin, which saw a 5% dip. Although Ethereum has pulled back slightly to $3,370, the continued expansion of Layer-2 solutions and the widespread adoption of blobs indicate that Ethereum is poised for further gains and may outpace other cryptocurrencies in the coming months.
