Ethereum Launches Holesky Testnet with Double the Validators to Stress Test Upgrades

Ethereum developers launched a new test network called Holesky on the 1-year anniversary of the Merge upgrade.
Holesky is expected to become Ethereum's biggest test network with 1.4 million validators, double the amount on mainnet.
Bigger testnets like Holesky allow more rigorous testing of upgrades before mainnet deployment.
Holesky aims to replace the existing Goerli testnet, which is targeted for sunset in early 2024.
The goal is to catch scaling issues on testnets before they occur on mainnet when stakes are higher.

coindesk.com

Relevant topic timeline:

9/15/2023

Ethereum Launches New Holešky Testnet with 1.6B ETH Supply for Staking and Testing

The new Holešky testnet was launched, with an initial supply of 1.6 billion Ether (HETH), making it potentially more accessible than the older Goerli network and expected to be used for staking, infrastructure, and protocol development.

9/17/2023

Ethereum developers delay launch of new Holesky testnet due to genesis file issues

Ethereum developers faced a setback in launching their new test network, Holesky, due to a misconfiguration in the genesis files, causing a two-week delay, but it is not expected to impact the timing of the upcoming hard fork, Dencun.