Sepolia is one of Ethereum’s public testnets. On Tuesday, its proof-of-work chain (execution layer) successfully “merged” with its proof-of-stake beacon chain (consensus layer) at around 2 PM UTC. To accomplish this, node operators on the testnet’s proof-of-work and proof-of-stake sides had to upgrade their client software in tandem.
The purpose of this exercise was to see if the validator nodes from both of Sepolia’s chains could work together. The same process is set to happen with the Ethereum mainnet merge event. While no specific date has been specified, it is expected to go live before the end of this year.
The merge on a public testnet serves as a practice run for the main network. Furthermore, the exercise is likely going to help client firms identify and fix software issues prior to mainnet deployment.
Ethereum developers plan to test the merge on three public testnets. Two of which have now happened: Ropsten and Sepolia. Goerli testnet will be merged in the coming weeks.