The cryptocurrency landscape experienced a wave of significant developments as core infrastructure updates, shifting mining dynamics, and major governance decisions came to the forefront. Ethereum developers pump the brakes on an upcoming testnet upgrade following critical security warnings regarding smart contract safety. Meanwhile, the Bitcoin network demonstrates surprising resilience as its hashrate hits a seven-month high, defying an industry-wide pivot toward artificial intelligence data centers. In layer-2 ecosystems, Starknet’s community has overwhelmingly signaled support for investigating a future independent of its parent network.
Ethereum delays Glamsterdam Hoodi testnet launch over security risks
Ethereum developers have officially postponed the scheduled Glamsterdam hard fork on the Hoodi testnet. The delay comes in the wake of rigorous security warnings issued by independent blockchain researchers who identified potential vulnerabilities regarding how gas-related changes could affect the execution of existing smart contracts during failed transactions.
The Ethereum Foundation announced that the network upgrade, which was originally slated for October 26, would be pushed back indefinitely to grant core contributors sufficient time to investigate how specific improvement proposals interact with smart contracts already deployed across the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
The security concerns originated on October 13, when blockchain security firm ChainSecurity published an advisory warning the community that two distinct proposals integrated into the Glamsterdam package—designated as EIP-8037 and EIP-8038—could inadvertently weaken critical network safeguards. Specifically, the firm noted that the proposals could undermine protections against a sophisticated vector known as insufficient gas griefing, a maneuver that can disrupt normal transaction processing and smart contract logic under specific network conditions.
This unexpected postponement introduces a notable layer of uncertainty regarding the ultimate timeline for deploying the Glamsterdam upgrade to the Ethereum mainnet. Prior to the security advisory, Ethereum developers had been actively contemplating an early December rollout for the mainnet, with a definitive deployment schedule contingent upon a smooth, problem-free testing phase on the Hoodi testnet. With the testnet launch now on hold, development teams must first resolve the underlying architectural concerns before establishing a new timeline for mainnet integration.
Bitcoin mining competition heats up despite AI exodus
In the proof-of-work sector, Bitcoin’s network hashrate has surged to a notable seven-month high. This robust growth persists despite major publicly traded mining enterprises aggressively shifting their heavy computing infrastructure toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing data centers, according to data and analysis from BlocksBridge Consulting.
The seven-day moving average of Bitcoin’s hashrate has successfully climbed back above the threshold of 1 zettahash per second for the first time since March 3. This rebound strongly indicates that the vast amounts of computing power leaving traditional Bitcoin operations are being swiftly replaced and surpassed by incoming hardware and expanding independent miners.
Hashrate serves as the primary metric quantifying the total computational power actively securing the decentralized Bitcoin network, whereas mining difficulty dynamically adjusts to regulate how difficult it is for miners to discover new blocks and earn block rewards.
Reflecting this surging competition, mining difficulty experienced a sharp 5.92% upward adjustment on October 16. Furthermore, BlocksBridge projections indicate another substantial difficulty increase of approximately 5.16% at the subsequent adjustment window. Combined, these consecutive upward shifts represent an aggressive 11.4% increase across a short operational span, significantly raising the computational threshold required for miners to secure consistent financial rewards.
This heightened competition arrives against a backdrop where prominent publicly traded mining firms have reported a collective 23% decline in their realized hashrate. These corporations have actively redirected their physical resources and electrical capacity toward lucrative artificial intelligence infrastructure, resulting in a reported 52% quarter-over-quarter surge in their AI-related revenues.
Industry estimates compiled by BlocksBridge suggest that approximately $1.5 billion worth of traditional mining equipment has been displaced by this sweeping transition toward artificial intelligence hosting. However, a significant portion of this specialized hardware is actively finding a second life, being acquired by smaller, agile mining entities that maintain access to low-cost electricity sources. These smaller operators are using the surplus equipment to expand their footprints while their larger industry counterparts pivot their focus toward the AI sector.
Starknet voters back research into life beyond Ethereum
Beyond the layer-1 landscape, governance participants within the Starknet ecosystem have voted to authorize comprehensive research into transitioning the network into an independent, post-quantum layer-1 blockchain.
The possibility of Starknet eventually departing from its foundational role as an Ethereum layer-2 network garnered overwhelming approval from the community. The high-profile governance vote, which spanned a period of seven days, officially concluded on Thursday. The advisory poll captured unprecedented engagement, drawing approximately 3,200 total votes, with an overwhelming 93.52% of the participating voting power cast in favor of pursuing the ambitious transition research.
According to statements from StarkWare, this non-binding poll recorded the highest level of community participation in Starknet’s governance history. StarkWare explicitly noted that it chose to abstain from casting a ballot, intentionally leaving the pivotal decision entirely in the hands of the decentralized community.
The decisive outcome of the vote authorizes both StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation to allocate resources toward formal research into the architecture of an independent layer-1 network. However, any actual migration or architectural shift would require a separate, legally and procedurally binding governance vote in the future. For the foreseeable future, Starknet will continue to operate normally as an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network while the exploratory research is conducted.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson addressed the community’s swift momentum, stating that development teams are initiating work on a comprehensive whitepaper immediately, with the explicit goal of releasing an initial draft for public review and scrutiny as early as November.
