Summary: Optimism has successfully implemented the Isthmus hardfork, bringing key features from Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade to the Superchain just 48 hours after Pectra went live on Ethereum L1. This makes Superchain the first layer 2 (L2) ecosystem to support Pectra, ushering in a new era of scalability, lower fees, and improved user experience.
(To understand this article, you’ll need to be familiar with Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade.)
Table of Contents
Isthmus Hardfork: Pectra Activated on Superchain in Just 48 Hours
At 16:00 UTC, the Isthmus hardfork was successfully activated across Base, OP Mainnet, Unichain, Ink, Soneium, and several other OP Stack chains. The Superchain is now officially the first L2 ecosystem to deploy Pectra, just two days after its release on Ethereum layer 1.
In April 2025, Superchain powered nearly 70% of all L2 activity (measured by transaction fees). Every OP Chain within the Superchain contributes revenue back to the Optimism Collective in exchange for shared governance, security, and upgrades—Pectra being a prime example of this collaborative model.
OP Stack: The Standard for L2 Infrastructure
The OP Stack is becoming the standard for L2 infrastructure, handling 12.3 million daily transactions as of April 2025. Thanks to its open-source, MIT-licensed architecture, it offers flexibility and fast upgrade deployment across its expanding ecosystem of chains.
The core design principles of OP Stack emphasize:
- Full EVM equivalence (Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility)
- Minimal code differences from Ethereum L1 execution clients
This approach ensures that new upgrades from Ethereum L1 are integrated almost instantly into the Superchain without months-long delays.
Real-world example: Just 48 hours after Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade, Superchain successfully activated it — faster than any other ecosystem.
Key Benefits of Pectra for Superchain
More Blob Bandwidth — Lower Fees for Users
Pectra doubles blob bandwidth, from 3 to 6 blobs per block (with a maximum of 9). This brings:
- More on-chain data capacity
- Lower transaction fees for Superchain users
- Room for the next wave of on-chain applications
EIP-7702: Smarter Wallets and Better UX
EIP-7702, a major part of Pectra, introduces account abstraction, delivering:
- Smarter, programmable wallets even for regular users
- Simplified multichain transactions with one click
- Fewer transaction signatures, fewer confirmation screens
Real-world example: DeFi apps on Superchain can quickly adopt smart wallets, creating a one-click trading experience — similar to what apps like Safe or Argent already offer on Ethereum.
Impressive Metrics of the Superchain
| Metric | Value (April 2025) |
|---|---|
| Daily transactions | 12.9 million |
| Share of total L2 fees | 83% |
| Contribution to Ethereum’s blob burn | Over 50% |
The Future of Superchain: Scaling Even Further
While Pectra introduced significant improvements, scalability remains Ethereum’s biggest challenge. With current growth rates, L2 chains need a 5–8x increase in blob capacity to avoid congestion in the future.
OP Labs developers have proposed a Blob-Parameter Only (BPO) fork to address this issue. Additionally, the upcoming Fusaka upgrade is in development, supported by PeerDAS to boost network reliability and scalability.
Why This Upgrade Matters
The Isthmus upgrade not only demonstrates Superchain’s ability to rapidly adopt Ethereum’s innovations, but it also reinforces Optimism’s role in shaping the future of L2 scaling and expanding Ethereum’s capabilities. With a combination of standardized OP Stack infrastructure, Pectra’s benefits, and the upcoming Fusaka upgrade, Superchain is steadily positioning itself as the most powerful multichain ecosystem in the Ethereum universe.
