The upcoming Bitcoin Core 30 release plans a substantial technical upgrade for the Bitcoin network, significantly expanding data handling capacities via the OP_RETURN function.
The update, scheduled for October, will increase the data carrier limit (OP_RETURN) from the longstanding 80 bytes to nearly 4 megabytes per transaction segment. This aims to enhance transaction efficiency and facilitate the development of more sophisticated decentralized applications directly on the Bitcoin blockchain.
This change reflects a consensus reached within Bitcoin’s development community to modernize protocol parameters while prioritizing network security and foundational stability. The decision followed extensive technical debates involving developers across the spectrum, including reformers advocating for the increase and more conservative voices concerned about protocol integrity.
Market observers and protocol developers are closely monitoring the implications of this update, anticipating potential impacts on Bitcoin’s scalability for complex transactions and its broader utility beyond simple value transfer.