Ethereum’s PeerDAS Solution for Blob Storage Crisis

Ethereum’s scalability solution has become its latest storage headache. The introduction of blobs through EIP-4844 was designed as an elegant compromise – temporary on-chain data containers that would lower costs for Layer-2 rollups while avoiding permanent storage pressure. Unlike traditional call data, blobs expire after approximately two weeks, reducing long-term storage needs while preserving data integrity for transaction verification. This structure successfully made rollups cheaper to operate and enhanced Ethereum’s scalability, but it also triggered rapid adoption across the blockchain ecosystem.

The success of this approach is now creating significant storage pressures. On-chain analyst Hildobby reported that several major Ethereum layer-2 solutions, including Base, Worldcoin, Soneium, and Scroll, have become heavily dependent on blobs. The consequence is stark: validators currently require more than 70 gigabytes of space to manage blob data, with warnings that this figure could balloon to over 1.2 terabytes if left unpruned. This represents a 17-fold increase that threatens to strain network resources and potentially compromise decentralization if smaller validators cannot keep up with storage demands.

Vitalik Buterin’s proposed solution, Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), represents a fundamental shift in how Ethereum handles data storage. Rather than requiring every node to store complete blob data, PeerDAS distributes responsibility across the network. Buterin explained the mechanism: “Each node only asks for a small number of ‘chunks’, as a way of probabilistically verifying that more than 50% of chunks are available. If more than 50% of chunks are available, then the node theoretically can download those chunks, and use erasure coding to recover the rest.”

This probabilistic verification system ensures data availability without burdening individual nodes with massive storage requirements. However, Buterin noted that complete block data remains necessary at certain critical stages, such as during initial broadcast or when rebuilding blocks from partial data. The system relies on “honest actors” to fulfill these roles, but Buterin emphasized PeerDAS’s resilience even against large groups of dishonest participants, as other nodes can assume responsibilities when needed.

Despite years of research on PeerDAS, Ethereum’s core developers are taking a cautious approach to implementation. Rather than a single leap in capacity, they’ve agreed to stage the rollout through Blob Parameter Only (BPO) forks. The first fork, scheduled for December 17, 2024, will raise blob targets from the current 6/9 to 10/15. A second fork, planned for January 7, 2026, will increase limits again to 14/21. This measured approach allows developers to monitor network performance and make gradual adjustments.

Buterin expects blob counts to rise steadily with these changes, laying the groundwork for more aggressive increases later. The phased implementation serves as both a stress test and a learning period for the network. Buterin views PeerDAS as vital not only for addressing immediate storage concerns but also for sustaining Layer-2 growth and preparing Ethereum’s base layer to handle higher gas limits. Eventually, the technology could enable migrating execution data entirely into blobs, representing a fundamental evolution in Ethereum’s architecture.

The current situation represents a critical inflection point for Ethereum. The network’s success in attracting Layer-2 solutions like Base, Worldcoin, Soneium, and Scroll has validated its scaling approach but also created new technical challenges. The 70GB current storage requirement, while manageable for now, points toward an unsustainable trajectory if adoption continues at its current pace.

PeerDAS represents Ethereum’s characteristic approach to problem-solving: technical innovation that maintains the network’s core principles while enabling growth. By distributing storage responsibility rather than centralizing it or imposing harsh limits, the solution aims to preserve Ethereum’s decentralization while accommodating increasing usage. The success of this balancing act will determine whether Ethereum can maintain its position as the leading smart contract platform while supporting the expanding ecosystem of Layer-2 solutions that depend on its security and infrastructure.