Overview
With Short Slots we want to reduce the Ethereum slot time, or block time while, at the same time, improve the security guarantees offered by the available chain.
Why it matters
DeFi prices update only when a block is produced. With 12-second slots, on-chain prices drift from external markets for up to 12 seconds, and arbitrageurs capture that drift at the expense of liquidity providers — the "loss-versus-rebalancing" (LVR) tax that depresses AMM LP returns.
Shorter slots compress the gap. AMMs track external prices more closely, LVR shrinks, liquidity deepens, and spreads tighten. Oracle-dependent protocols — lending markets and perpetuals — also benefit from fresher prices: safer leverage, and fewer stale-price liquidations.
Challenges
- Reduce slot time without reducing the size of the validator set. Ethereum's security depends on wide validator participation.
- Strengthen the available chain at the same time — providing stronger reorg resilience near the head than it offers today.