Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has recently announced an ambitious initiative to redesign Ethereum’s consensus layer, which could be seen as a step towards solving its scalability problems. The new “Beam chain” proposal aims to make the transition from the current Beacon chain to a more efficient and faster version.
The Ethereum blockchain is divided into two layers: the Beacon chain for ether staking and transaction tracking, and the execution layer where users initiate transactions. Drake’s proposal seeks to address the pressure to scale Ethereum as newer blockchains, like Solana, offer faster and cheaper transactions.
The Beam chain will use ZK-SNARKs, which allow proving possession of certain information without revealing it, to improve privacy and scalability. However, it may take years for the update to be implemented, with developers potentially starting work on the code in 2026 and testing lasting until 2029.
