Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and developer Anders Elowsson have introduced Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP-7999), an amendment that could fundamentally simplify how users pay for transactions on the Ethereum network. The proposal outlines a unified multidimensional fee market. The discussion on GitHub describes this as “allowing users to specify a single aggregate `max_fee` for multiple resources.”
This is a major shift from the current model that charges users separately for different on-chain resources like computation (gas), blob storage, and calldata. Under the new system, users would specify a single “maximum total fee” they are willing to pay across all dimensions. The protocol then optimizes how that aggregate budget is distributed across resources.
Improved user experience
The aim is to enhance capital efficiency by treating the `max_fee` as fungible across different resource types, thereby simplifying user experience and improving economic efficiency.
Currently, Ethereum requires users to estimate multiple variables to avoid underpayment and failed transactions. This is a complex task, especially with proto-danksharding (EIP-4844) adding blob fees. EIP-7999 aims to abstract this complexity and make Ethereum more accessible, especially for newer users and dApp developers.
ETH community thumbs up the proposal
The community response has been cautiously optimistic. Developers see it as a step toward greater efficiency, though some have raised concerns over implementation complexity and edge-case handling. One user on X said that it could “reshape how smart contracts interact with fees”, while another said, “As a dev, this is exactly the kind of fee abstraction we need.” On forums like EthResearch, debate is ongoing over whether this is the best path forward or simply a temporary patch.
Meanwhile,Ethereum’s price saw a mild downward shift, dropping 0.77% in the last 24 hours and trading around $3636 levels. The announcement has sparked optimism among developers about the network’s scalability improvements and push to evolve its core architecture.