The EOS blockchain is constantly evolving, and the 2024-2025 roadmap reflects this with a series of significant upgrades and feature rollouts that enhance scalability, security, accessibility, and developer efficiency. In this article, we’ll break down each major release across EOS, EOS EVM, Middleware, and exSat, providing insights into how these changes will shape the future of the EOS ecosystem.

Spring Future Releases

The underlying blockchain protocol of EOS, Antelope Spring, will undergo several major upgrades over the next year, focusing on RAM optimizations, synchronous calls, optimized smart contract execution, and multi-party computation (MPC) wallets. 

Spring v1.0.0 (Q3 2024)

• Savanna Consensus
  An entirely new approach to block-based consensus, incorporating aggregate BLS signatures and other advanced cryptographic techniques. This dramatically enhances scalability while reducing finality time to just 1 second.
• SHiP Performance Improvements
  A significant reworking of the State History Plugin (SHiP) to improve performance, reliability, and support cross-blockchain consensus by leveraging the faster finality of Savanna.

Spring v1.1.0 (Q1 2025)

• RAM Optimizations Phase I
  Optimizations to reduce the size of the state database in memory without requiring protocol changes.
• Optimized Execution for Designated Smart Contracts
  Smart contracts compiled with the EOS VM optimized compiler can execute 4-5x faster. Currently, these optimizations are only available for system contracts, but this roadmap item will allow designated smart contracts outside of system contracts to execute with these efficiencies.

Spring v2.0.0 (Q3 2025)

• RAM Optimizations Phase II
  Protocol changes to further optimize state data efficiency, enhancing how the system manages data and memory.
• MPC Wallets
  A decentralized multi-party computation (MPC) signing scheme that will allow smart contracts to interact directly with assets on other blockchains.
• Better Contract Composability Through Sync Calls
  Sync calls enable smaller, more modular smart contracts that can be composed to implement complex functionality in a more efficient and developer-friendly way.

EOS EVM Future Releases

EOS EVM is undergoing several major updates to improve scalability, gas fee efficiency, and interoperability. These changes will make the EOS EVM more robust for developers building complex decentralized applications (dApps).

EOS EVM v2.x.x (Q4 2024)

• Integration of EIP-4844 (Proto-Danksharding)
  • Feature Overview: Implementation of Proto-Danksharding to enhance data availability, particularly for Layer 2 solutions like ZK-Rollups. This will enable more scalable and efficient data processing on EOS EVM.
  • Release Timeline: Late 2024
  • Expected Impact: Significantly improves scalability and reduces costs for Layer 2 solutions, making EOS EVM a more robust platform for complex dApps.
• Advanced Gas Algorithm Refinement
  • Feature Overview: Further refinement of the gas fee algorithm to dynamically adjust based on transaction type, resource usage, and network congestion. This will include more precise calculations for storage-intensive transactions and tiered pricing models.
  • Release Timeline: Late 2024
  • Expected Impact: Improves gas fee efficiency, making EOS EVM more cost-effective and attractive for developers.

EOS EVM v2.x.x (Q2 2025)

• Decentralized Token Registration for Trustless Bridges
  • Feature Overview: Develop a decentralized token registration system allowing entities to register their tokens with EOS EVM’s trustless bridge independently.
  • Release Timeline: Mid 2025
  • Expected Impact: Expands the ecosystem by allowing a wider variety of tokens to be integrated into EOS EVM, fostering greater cross-chain interoperability and liquidity. Expands the types of data that can be exchanged between EOS EVM and EOS Native layers.
• Gas Redistribution Incentive Mechanism
  • Feature Overview: Introduction of a gas redistribution system that rewards high-performance dApps and applications that drive significant user engagement. A portion of the collected gas fees will be distributed back to these dApps, incentivizing efficient and valuable contributions to the network.
  • Release Timeline: Mid 2025
  • Expected Impact: Encourages developers to optimize their applications for better performance and user engagement, increasing overall network value with aligned incentives.

exSat Future Releases

With its mainnet live since October 23rd, 2024, exSat aims to scale Bitcoin’s ecosystem by addressing core challenges in trust, scalability, and interoperability. By introducing BTC staking and decentralized asset custody, exSat integrates Bitcoin’s security with smart contract functionality, enabling a broader range of decentralized applications (dApps) and DeFi solutions on EOS. These innovations open new opportunities for both developers and users to engage with Bitcoin beyond its traditional role.

exSat v1.0.0 (Q4 2024)

exSat Mainnet Launch

• Feature Overview: Deploy the exSat mainnet to establish the foundation for the BTC docking layer. This involves launching the network infrastructure to support BTC data synchronization.
• Release Timeline: October 2024
• Expected Impact: Establishes the infrastructure for BTC staking and enables the early development of BTC-based dApps within the EOS ecosystem.

Bridged Staking

• Feature Overview: Activate bridged staking, allowing users to stake BTC through the EOS Network, thereby securing the exSat chain.
• Release Timeline: November 2024
• Expected Impact: Increases user engagement and liquidity by enabling BTC-based staking rewards.

exSat v1.x.x (Q4 2024/Q1 2025)

XSAT Staking

• Feature Overview: Introduce XSAT staking, requiring Data Validators to stake XSAT tokens in order to qualify as a validator.
• Release Timeline: Q1 2025
• Expected Impact: Attracts more participants to the exSat Network and provides a staking mechanism tied to BTC’s economic activities.

exSat v2.x.x (Q2 2025)

Decentralized Asset Custody

• Feature Overview: Implement decentralized asset custody, allowing secure and trustless custody of BTC and other assets using multi-party computation (MPC) and other decentralized technologies.
• Release Timeline: Q2 2025
• Expected Impact: Enhances security for asset management and broadens the scope of DeFi applications involving BTC and other assets, especially for power users.

Middleware Future Releases

Middleware is a critical component of the EOS ecosystem, aimed at simplifying user interactions and improving the overall experience for developers and end users alike. The 2024-2025 roadmap for Middleware includes a range of updates, such as the Unicove web portal, integration with MetaMask, and new account creation systems, all designed to streamline onboarding and resource management. Future milestones like Lite accounts and a web-based authenticator further lower the barrier to entry, making EOS more accessible to a broader audience.

Q4 2024 

Unicove v2.0

• Feature Overview: A new web portal for EOS will be created using modern technologies to serve as the foundation for users to perform all core network functionality. The initial release will support sending and receiving tokens, the RAM market, staking, resource management, and minor block explorer functionality. The portal will also heavily emphasize user onboarding through account creation, localization, search engine optimization, and general user information. Release Timeline: Late 2024.
• Expected Impact: This will significantly reduce the complexities of onboarding and using the EOS Network while creating an environment for future feature development. 

MetaMask Snap v1.0

• Feature Overview: MetaMask Snapfor EOS will enable users to create an EOS account using their MetaMask seed and sign transactions using any Wharf-powered app.
• Release Timeline: Late 2024.
• Expected Impact: Taking advantage of one of the most widely used wallets in the industry to expand access to the EOS Network.

Account creation system v2.0

• Feature Overview:  A new account creation platform for EOS that provides multiple methods to create an account. This platform will be used by both Unicove 2.0 and will be made generally available through a Wharf plugin.
• Release Timeline: Late 2024.
• Expected Impact:  This system will enable EOS account creation within MetaMask Snap by providing an integrated portal and potentially ease account creation in other wallets if they integrate with this new system.

Q1 2025

Unicove v2.1

• Feature Overview: TBD
• Release Timeline: Q1 2025.
• Expected Impact: TBD

Resource provider API (GM fuel 2.0 Anticipated)

• Feature Overview: Development of a deployable open-source API service capable of providing network resources for EOS native transactions. This will allow anyone to launch a service enabling free or fee-based transactions when leveraging the Wharf Resource Provider transaction plugin.
• Release Timeline: Q1 2025.
• Expected Impact: Easy-to-deploy software will create additional resource provider entities and establish a competitive market for network resources. This will also reduce dependency on existing resource providers and increase fault tolerance.

Lite accounts (Anticipated)

• Feature Overview: New type of account that is limited in functionality but allows people to create an account for free and transact using fees, similar to BTC and ETH. These accounts would be unable to interact with other smart contracts, but they would allow the sending and receiving of tokens and a pathway to create a complete account.
• Release Timeline: Q1 2025.
• Expected Impact: Reducing friction during onboarding by removing the upfront account creation cost.

Q2 2025

Unicove v2.2 (Anticipated)

• Feature Overview: TBD
• Release Timeline: late 2025.
• Expected Impact: TBD

Web authenticator (Anticipated)

• Feature Overview: A feature-light browser-based authenticator that would provide a familiar user experience using authentication methods such as passwords or social logins.
• Release Timeline: Late 2025.
• Expected Impact: Lowering the barrier to entry for new users who may be resistant to downloading third-party wallet apps. 

Conclusion

The 2024-2025 roadmap marks a transformative period for EOS, with key advancements across scalability, cross-chain interoperability, and decentralized applications. The introduction of the Savanna Consensus, improved smart contract execution, and a robust middleware strategy will strengthen the network’s infrastructure while expanding accessibility for developers and users alike.

With innovations like MetaMask integration, MPC wallets, and BTC staking through exSat, EOS is positioning itself at the forefront of blockchain evolution. These developments aren’t just incremental improvements—they’re setting the stage for global adoption, driving forward a new era of decentralized finance and applications.

EOS is building a platform designed to meet the needs of the present while preparing for the innovations of tomorrow. By removing barriers to entry, optimizing performance, and facilitating cross-chain connectivity, EOS is poised to empower the next wave of blockchain development and lead the charge in decentralized innovation.

Source : Blog - EOS Network - Oct 28, 2024