Google launches countdown to The Merge activation

Tech giant Google has launched a doodle featuring a countdown timer to the activation of The Merge on the Ethereum network.

Typing \”Ethereum Merge\” or \”The Merge\” into the search box shows the estimated time until the blockchain transitions to the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus, based on current difficulty and hash rate.

The doodle also contains an Easter egg: The timer is accompanied by a drawing of black and white bears that gradually move closer to each other. At the moment of The Merge activation they will merge into a panda.

Sam Padilla, a Google Cloud developer, first spoke about the feature. He said the team built the timer in two weeks. It is meant to show appreciation to the Ethereum team for \”the work they have been doing over the years\”.

Padilla noted that the timer’s data is sourced in real time from the Ethereum network using nodes hosted at Google.

The completion of The Merge is planned for around September 15-16.

Last week the Ethereum activated the Bellatrix upgrade. The upgrade is the final step before migrating the mainnet to the PoS algorithm.

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