Key Takeaways:
- Base plans to cut fees below $0.01 and confirm transactions in 200 milliseconds
- Total Value Locked (TVL) surges to almost $4B as upgrade roadmap reveals 100x gas capacity boost
- Flashblocks system enables instant pre-confirmations by summer 2025
- Protocol logic shifting to Ethereum Layer 1 (L1) for true decentralization
The Layer 2 Arms Race Heats Up
Coinbase’s Base network is making a serious move to capture the crown for Ethereum’s scaling capabilities, revealing enhancements that are specifically aiming for Solana’s blistering performance while inheriting Ethereum’s level of security. Currently, there is $10.2B in Layer 2 (L2) liquidity that has been onboarded; the proposed changes may completely rearrange the scaling landscape.
The Base’ Builders X account posted:
Breaking the Speed Barrier
Base lead Jesse Pollak’s roadmap reveals audacious technical targets:
- Lightning Transactions: 200ms confirmation times (vs Solana’s 400ms)
- Micro Fees: Consistent sub-$0.01 costs (currently averaging $0.02)
- Throughput Surge: Scaling from 25M to 250M gas/second by end of the year (EOY)
The secret weapon? Flashblocks – a new system creating instant “pre-confirmation” guarantees while finalizing on Ethereum. Testnets show 2-second end-to-end finality, a 10x improvement, as mentioned in Jesse’s X post:
Decentralization Meets Scale
Unlike some L2s that remain semi-centralized – a real dilemma or contradiction, and still hard to beat in blockchain technology – Base is pushing core protocol logic onto Ethereum L1 via smart contracts. This hybrid approach:
✅ Maintains Ethereum’s security
✅ Allows independent node operators
✅ Enables community governance upgrades
Fast AND decentralized isn’t an either/or choice anymore, and this race is a challenge for other networks like Solana, which have recurring network outages.
Market Impact: ETH and COIN Rally
The announcement triggered immediate reactions:
- ETH trading volume spiked 18% on major exchanges
- Coinbase stock (COIN) rose 2.5% on institutional interest
- Base’s TVL grew approximately 22% in 48 hours as developers migrated
At this point, Base could become the AWS of Web3. Coinbase’s distribution gives it unique adoption leverage.
The Solana Counterargument
While Base’s specs impress, Solana retains advantages:
- Native Speed: 50k TPS vs Base’s 200 TPS (for now)
- Mobile Focus: Saga phone integration
- Meme Coin Dominance: 68% of all meme trading volume
Next Steps?
With mainnet upgrades beginning summer 2025, the real test comes when:
- Flashblocks handle Black Friday NFT mint traffic
- Gas fees stay sub-penny during market frenzies
- Validator decentralization reaches critical mass
Base Network is racing forward after Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade went live on mainnet on May 7, and is taking advantage of the fork for scalability.
The Pectra upgrade is set to double Ethereum’s capacity to secure L2 transactions for Base and other L2s. This means that the ecosystem can potentially handle 2x as many TPS, while keeping fees low with increasing on-chain activity.
To keep in mind, Pectra’s 7702 enables smart wallet upgrades. Previously, users had to create a new smart wallet, using the technology with a gas sponsorship example, and smart permissions. With this Pectra upgrade, any user can upgrade from a traditional wallet to a smart wallet, including all their history and assets, using the same address.
Can an Ethereum L2 realistically out-Solana Solana and/or Sui? We could infer that Base is not here to replace Ethereum but to help it eat the world for a better and solid Web3 future.
