Cardano’s Ambitious Upgrade: Enhancing Blockchain Speed and Scalability
In the rapidly evolving landscape of blockchain technology, Cardano is set to roll out a groundbreaking layer-1 upgrade aimed at significantly enhancing its mainnet throughput. This strategic enhancement promises to increase transaction speeds from the current 10-15 transactions per second (TPS) to hundreds, all while maintaining the network’s strong decentralization and security features. During a community event in Tokyo as part of the Midnight Japan Tour, key figures from Input Output, including Michael Smolenski and Cardano’s founder Charles Hoskinson, introduced the Ouroboros Leios upgrade as a pivotal advancement in both scalability and consensus mechanisms.
Cardano’s Leios: A 50x Speed Surge by 2026
Michael Smolenski, the Cardano Core Product Manager at Input Output, emphasized the significance of the Leios upgrade at the event. He noted, “Thus far, our network has supported around 10 to 15 TPS. However, to foster greater adoption and remain competitive, we must enhance this throughput. Stake pool operators (SPOs) need to shift towards transaction fee-based operations to sustain their activities in the long run, necessitating a network usage of approximately 50 TPS.”
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The initial release of Leios on the mainnet is anticipated to offer a “50 times improvement,” translating into a leap from 10 TPS to an impressive 500 TPS. Smolenski shed light on the focus on “transaction kilobytes per second” instead of just TPS, accounting for varied transaction sizes. The target is set at “300 transaction kilobytes per second,” with a confirmation window ranging from 20 to 80 seconds based on prototype outcomes.
The Leios upgrade is described as the “next generation consensus protocol” for Cardano, incorporating new block types. Smolenski explained the introduction of “endorser blocks” alongside existing “ranking blocks.” This innovation allows for more efficient transaction processing by bundling multiple transactions into endorser blocks. Although specific prioritization mechanisms were not detailed, the approach highlights a strategic and incremental scaling process to prevent overloading node operators. The roadmap includes achieving 500 TPS initially, followed by 1,000 TPS, with an ultimate goal of reaching 10,000 TPS. Smolenski stressed, “We cannot leap from our current state to 10,000 TPS without a strategic approach, and it’s crucial to bring the SPOs along with us.”
Looking ahead, Smolenski mentioned plans for a public Leios testnet by the end of Q2, leading to a mainnet hard fork.
Hoskinson on the Underlying Complexity: Beyond TPS
Charles Hoskinson expanded the discussion, positioning Leios as the result of a decade-long journey in research and engineering. He remarked, “Ouroboros Leios didn’t begin in 2026; it has roots reaching back to 2016, involving over two dozen research papers, dozens of protocols, contributions from more than 15 engineering firms, and 168 scientists over the past 10 years.”
Hoskinson highlighted Leios as a comprehensive solution to the “blockchain trilemma” that involves achieving decentralization, security, and scalability concurrently. In his view, “This protocol is decentralized, secure, and fast,” addressing the challenge of balancing these three essential attributes. Notably, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has also recently commented on overcoming the blockchain trilemma.
Hoskinson emphasized that Leios is engineered for resilience. In the event of a protocol failure, it would revert to the previous Ouroboros Praos framework. He recalled a past incident where Cardano experienced a soft fork, dividing into two networks before autonomously reconverging.
Furthermore, Hoskinson underscored the importance of governance in Cardano’s long-term strategy, suggesting that technical advancements alone are temporary. He pointed to Cardano’s on-chain governance and treasury, which holds significant resources controlled by ADA holders, as the means for funding future upgrades and orchestrating changes over time.
Conclusion: A Promising Future for Cardano
As of the latest update, Cardano’s ADA is trading at $0.2638. The blockchain’s ongoing developments and strategic upgrades continue to capture the attention of the crypto community.
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