Ethereum’s Increasing Validator Count Sparks Concerns, Fidelity Digital Assets Warns

The active validator set on Ethereum has surged by 74%, according to Fidelity Digital Assets.

The escalating number of validators is raising apprehensions regarding bandwidth risks and potential centralization.

While a higher count of validators typically indicates increased adoption, accurately forecasting future staking demand remains challenging, the report highlighted.

The significant uptick in Ethereum’s validator count post the Shapella upgrade in April last year is triggering worries about technical capacity and centralization, as outlined in a research report by Fidelity Digital Assets released on Thursday.

Fidelity observed that “with the reduced risk stemming from heightened liquidity, the active validator count has soared by 74%,” and cautioned that “future roadmap upgrades will encounter more challenges” with this expanded set.

The Shapella upgrade introduced withdrawals for validators who staked their ether (ETH) to validate and secure transactions on the blockchain, marking a notable development for the network.

A substantial increase in validator count raises concerns because “bandwidth and latency are critical in a large validator set network, where each validator must independently download the latest data and validate state change proposals within a limited timeframe,” noted analyst Daniel Gray. He added, “The larger the block (data), the greater the computing power required to process and re-execute the transactions before the next slot.”

Each new validator introduces an additional connection to the network, amplifying the overall bandwidth needed to maintain consensus, emphasized the report.

“The potential issue arises as bandwidth requirements escalate, leading to potential dropouts among validators unable to keep up with the pace – those at risk of dropping out are more likely to be self-hosted nodes,” Gray explained. “If the average household faces difficulties in keeping up with the network, there’s a risk of heightened centralization over time, as surviving hardware may predominantly exist within institution-owned data centers,” he cautioned.

Despite recent moderation in the growth of the validator set size, uncertainties loom over future scenarios, the report pointed out. Hence, the possibility of rapid growth could pose challenges related to centralization and bandwidth risks.

The expansion of the validator count has traditionally been perceived as a “positive challenge” indicating heightened adoption and security for the Ethereum blockchain. Nevertheless, accurately predicting future staking demand remains elusive, the report underscored.