Update: March 24,2022
The Merge
Eventually the current Ethereum Mainnet will "merge" with the beacon chain proof-of-stake system.
This will mark the end of proof-of-work for Ethereum, and the full transition to proof-of-stake.
This is planned to precede the roll out of shard chains.
We formerly referred to this as "the docking."
This upgrade represents the official switch to proof-of-stake consensus. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive mining, and instead secures the network using staked ether. A truly exciting step in realizing the Ethereum vision – more scalability, security, and sustainability.Reference: https://ethereum.org/en/upgrades/merge/