BACKGROUND Earlier this year I received a grant from the Ethereum Foundation to perform research on leaderless consensus protocols. The best outcome would include an architecture of a new, usable leaderless BFT protocol framework for Ethereum Layer 1. My current progress is the completion of an archival deep-dive on leaderless consensus protocols to-date. This blogpost is for anyone interested in consensus mechanisms and/or would be curious to read light discourse on leaderless v leader-led consensus protocols. This is the first part of a series of thoughts and findings for my project.

EPF Project Updates In reverse chronological order - most recent updates up top. Table of Content Final Project Update Project abstract Prysm, GETH, and Lodestar are collaborating on a design for enshrined proposer-builder separation with an inclusion list for Ethereum’s core protocol. This design is based off of discussions with Mike Neuder and Vitalik which can be referenced here: https://ethresear.ch/t/payload-timeliness-committee-ptc-an-epbs-design/16054

Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation adds several advantages over today’s reliance on MEV-boost, an out-of-protocol solution. These advantages include decentralising the relay architecture, smoothing developer coordination especially during critical times, and reducing other associated risks. For a detailed explanation of ePBS benefits, check out Mike and Justin’s post here. This version of ePBS is based off of the PTC (Payload Timeliness Committee) proposal by Mike and Francesco. Architecture Workflow (1) Validators are assigned to PTC.