Solana Scales Higher - Increasing Block Limit by 4%

With the implementation of SIMD-0207, Solana engineers have increased the chain’s block size by 4%. 

The change allows more data to be packed into Solana blocks, theoretically boosting the network’s industry-leading transaction throughput.

What improvements can users expect next as part of a larger scalability roadmap?

Block Size Up 4% Following SIMD-0207 Implementation

First proposed by Anza Engineer Andrew Fitzgerald, SIMD-0207 is an approved network upgrade designed to increase Solana’s scalability. After initially being accepted in December 2024, SIMD-0207 has successfully been implemented onchain, increasing Solana’s block limit to 50M CUs (Compute Units), an increase of 4%.

By increasing Solana’s block limit, the network can theoretically pack more transactions into a single block. The change should help to boost Solana’s transaction throughput, enabling crypto’s most-performant Layer-1 blockchain to become even faster.

However, some Solana community members have suggested that increasing Solana block limits could be considered a threat to decentralization. 

Detractors have theorized that raised block limits could invoke more powerful hardware requirements for validators, making operation more inaccessible.

Other schools of thought have suggested abolishing block limits entirely. Shinobi Systems, a respected Solana validator operator, has argued in favor of pushing the network to its limits and making the biggest blocks possible to establish a new baseline.

Solana Continues Warpath to Greater Scalability

Increasing the network’s block limit is a small step on Solana’s scaling roadmap. Future network governance proposals and upgrades are targeting consistent, incremental improvements to help Solana grow. For example, SIMD-0256 intends to raise the block limit higher still, to 60M CUs, a 25% increase from pre-SIMD-0207 levels.

Incremental improvements allow the network to cautiously implement upgrades, without compromising the security or operation of the Solana blockchain.

Beyond smaller updates, Solana is still eagerly awaiting the launch of the biggest scalability improvement in its history. Firedancer, an upcoming validator client developed by Jump Crypto, promises to bring unprecedented throughput and security to the network. 

Testnet demonstrations have indicated that Firedancer may be capable of processing over 1M transactions per second, far exceeding the current capacities of both Solana and all rival networks.

Additionally, Solana also stands to benefit from the launch of DoubleZero. Co-founded by Austin Federa, former Head of Strategy at the Solana Foundation, DoubleZero aims to boost blockchain scalability from the ground up, improving the underlying infrastructure of the internet itself.

All such cases continue the Solana network to one unequivocal goal: Increase Bandwidth, Reduce Latency.

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