# Ethereum Researchers Warn Planned Upgrades Could Concentrate Who Holds the Chain's State

A new proposal argues that statelessness and history expiry solve node storage while creating a dependence on a small set of operators willing to serve the data.

- Published: 2026-08-05T05:31:30.193Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-08-05/ethereum-researchers-warn-planned-upgrades-could-concentrate
- Publisher: Polylog (Crypto desk)
- Section: crypto
- Sources: [Ethereum Research](https://ethresear.ch/t/why-decentralized-state-is-important-for-ethereum/25622), [Ethereum Research](https://ethresear.ch/t/arcanum-a-privacy-first-compiler-layer-for-source-code-tee-now-zk-as-the-long-term-foundation/25614</source)

A proposal posted to Ethereum's research forum, reviewed by core developer Guillaume Ballet, argues that the network needs what its author calls Decentralized State, and that current approaches to the coming upgrades leave a gap. The proble…

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