Ethereum PectraMainnet upgrade confirmed to be delayed! Foundation initiates additional testing, ETH falls below yearly low

In a major update this year, Ethereum's 'Pectra Upgrade' has been delayed on the Ethereum Mainnet after errors occurred in two tests, Holesky and Sepolia, prompting developers to conduct further testing. (Previously: Ethereum's Pectra test failed again! Mainnet upgrade in April or delayed, ETH market sentiment hits a low) (Background: ETH plunges 9% below $2,100! Ethereum's Pectra upgrade fails: Holesky test network sees chain fork) Ethereum's significant update 'Pectra Upgrade' began testing the first phase on the Holesky test network at the end of last month. However, issues arose during the test, with Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko reporting 'an execution layer (EL) bug led to a chain fork, with only a few chains becoming valid.' Coincidentally, after resolving the issues on the Holesky test network, the Pectra upgrade was activated on the Sepolia test network on March 5, entering the final critical phase before the Mainnet upgrade. However, after a few hours of testing, Sepolia encountered errors again, leading some developers to call for a postponement of the Mainnet upgrade scheduled for around April 8. The Pectra upgrade is delayed, and additional testing is being conducted. In a report on Thursday (6), CoinDesk reported that after errors occurred in two tests on the Holesky and Sepolia networks, Ethereum developers ultimately decided to postpone the Pectra upgrade on the Ethereum Mainnet and conduct further additional testing. Ethereum Foundation researcher Alex Stokes said: It seems we need to collect more data to truly determine a specific date. Ethereum developers revealed that although errors occurred in both tests, the issue was with the configuration and not with Pectra itself. Therefore, they decided to create a shadow fork of the Holesky test network. Due to configuration issues causing many Holesky validators to go offline during testing, the shadow fork allows key stakeholders to test their code on Pectra while the Holesky network is being restored: Anyone who wants to test on Holesky can do so there. Developers will focus on restoring the main Holesky network, requiring 67% of validators to reconfigure their systems and come back online. Once Holesky can process transactions again, we will have more data to decide on the next steps for the Mainnet and launching Pectra. Ethereum drops to $2,136. In this bull market round, Ethereum's price has been weak, with the Pectra upgrade initially expected to provide support for ETH temporarily. However, recent errors during testing have shaken community confidence. Blockchain data analysis platform Santiment also noted that Ethereum market sentiment has dropped to the lowest point in the past year, mainly due to its recent underperformance compared to other major encryption assets. The current Ethereum price has dropped to $2,136, not only failing to surpass the historical high of the previous bull market round but also hitting a new low since the end of November 2023. Related reports: Is ETH's rally coming? Options market bets on Ethereum Pectra upgrade and low transaction fees favor Ethereum is tense! Development community: Accelerate deployment of new hard forks, Pectra upgrade estimated to go live on 4/8 Latest summary of Ethereum core developers meeting: Improving Node operations, Pectra Devnet 1 set to be released. This article was first published on BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media in the dynamic BlockTempo.