Solana has expanded its block capacity by 20%, increasing the per-block compute unit (CU) limit from 50 million to 60 million. This change took effect with the activation of epoch 822 on July 23. The update enables the processing of more complex transactions within a single block. It also contributes to improved user experience by potentially lowering transaction fees and reducing network congestion.
Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Labs, explained that each Solana transaction consumes a specific number of compute units depending on its complexity. Basic token transfers use fewer CUs, while multi-swap operations across decentralized exchanges consume significantly more. With higher block limits, developers have more headroom to build and run demanding applications without encountering execution constraints. He added that the goal was “to at least double” the 60M compute units per-block limit.
“More Capacity than Ethereum”
The upgrade did not waste any time affecting Solana's performance as the network saw a boost to over 1,700 True TPS (transactions per second), signaling a tangible improvement in throughput following the implementation.
Reacting to the news, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko quoted SolanaFloor’s X post, remarking, “i think solana added more capacity than ethereum and all of its L2s combined.”
Next Step: 100 Million Compute Units
Following the recent increase, Solana developers have proposed a further capacity expansion under a Solana Improvement Document (SIMD-0286). This proposal aims to increase the block limit from 60 million to 100 million compute units, representing a 66% increase in capacity. Lucas Bruder, CEO of Jito Labs, authored the improvement document. He argued that the current block limits were initially introduced to ensure that all network validators could keep pace with block production.
Bruder stated that recent mainnet performance suggests the network is no longer constrained by block execution times. The proposal aims to provide additional capacity for applications and complex smart contracts that frequently run into compute limitations.
Brennan Watt, Vice President of Core Engineering at Anza, confirmed that the SIMD-0286 proposal has already been merged. If adopted, the upgrade will roll out through a future software release. Validators will need to update their systems to support the higher ceiling. Once a critical threshold of validator agreement is met, the upgrade will activate at a designated epoch.
Developer and User Impact
A higher block limit will provide developers with more flexibility to incorporate advanced features into their decentralized applications and deliver a better experience across the board, especially as activity from perpetual futures trading and spot DEX trading continues to grow. Solana’s broader vision of becoming the home of open and high-speed Internet Capital Markets is accelerated by this update. It also means that users will likely face fewer failed transactions and reduced costs, assuming demand remains steady. Kyle Samani, Managing Partner at Multicoin Capital, emphasized that the change meant “Solana mainnet now has 20% more capacity than it did a few hours ago!”
However, some concerns remain. Watt noted that unlimited compute capacity could open the door to abuse or spam. He suggested that ongoing discussions among developers include ideas like static analysis and asynchronous execution models to ensure a balance between flexibility and security.
Solana Performance in Context
Solana's move comes at a time when rival blockchains are also upgrading their capabilities. Ethereum's recent Pectra hard fork improved rollup support, while the Bitcoin community is exploring opcodes to enhance programmability. These developments underscore a broader trend across the blockchain ecosystem, as networks compete to offer improved performance and scalability.
The push toward 100 million CUs reflects Solana's strategic focus on supporting high-frequency, high-complexity decentralized applications. With developer interest on the rise, Solana is fully committed to removing the technical bottlenecks that could limit its growth.
The network’s core engineers have not ruled out even greater increases in block capacity in the future or removing the limits altogether. The ultimate goal remains scaling the network as fast as the physical infrastructure of validators and data centers can support. Achieving this would still require robust safeguards to maintain validator integrity and ensure network stability.
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