The Protocol: Solana’s Firedancer Proposes Uncapping Block Compute-Unit Limit

2 days ago

Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk's play wrapper of the astir important stories successful cryptocurrency tech development. I’m Margaux Nijkerk, a newsman astatine CoinDesk.

In this issue:

Firedancer Devs From Jump Crypto Push Solana Toward Bigger Blocks
Luke Dashjr Denies Hard Fork Claims arsenic Bitcoin Governance Debate Heats Up
UN: Experiment With Pension Funds Proves Blockchain arsenic 'Ultimate' Identity Tech
Gate Rolls Out Token Launcher ‘Gate Fun’ connected New Layer-2 Network

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Network News

FIREDANCER DEVS PROPOSE REMOVING BLOCK-LEVEL COMPUTE UNIT LIMIT: In a bold displacement for Solana’s scaling roadmap, Jump Crypto’s Firedancer improvement squad has submitted a proposal, known arsenic SIMD-0370, that would region the block-level compute portion limit. The change, which the squad suggested would beryllium implemented pursuing the deployment of the Alpenglow upgrade, could unlock a caller authorities of throughput by letting artifact producers person bigger blocks. Under today’s design, each artifact is bounded by a maximum allowable compute unit, a information measurement and maximum workload meant to halt validators from getting overwhelmed. Currently, the bounds connected Solana is astatine 60 cardinal compute-units. Earlier this year, different radical of Solana halfway developers submitted a insubstantial arguing to assistance the bounds to 100 cardinal compute-units. But with the upcoming Alpenglow upgrade, immoderate developers accidental that headdress is nary longer necessary. And if that headdress is lifted, blocks would beryllium capable to acceptable arsenic galore transactions arsenic they can, depending connected however precocious performing their validators are. Supporters accidental this flexibility could marque Solana much resilient during periods of precocious demand, specified arsenic erstwhile caller tokens motorboat oregon DeFi enactment spikes. Bigger blocks would mean much transactions tin get through, reducing the kinds of congestion and failed trades that frustrate users. Still, immoderate debated that blocks contiguous connected Solana aren't afloat truthful determination would beryllium nary tangible quality for extremity users. — Margaux Nijkerk Read more.

BITCOIN DEV DOUBLES DOWN ON DENIAL OF HARD FORK: Debates implicit Bitcoin’s aboriginal are thing new, but this week the treatment took connected a sharper edge. One of Bitcoin’s long-serving developers was astatine the halfway of a tempest astir immutability, censorship and what it means to “save” the protocol. The contention escalated connected Sept. 25, pursuing an article published by The Rage claiming to uncover that Luke Dashjr, maintainer of the Bitcoin Knots software, advocated for a hard fork that would instal a trusted multisig committee with powerfulness to retroactively change the blockchain, reappraisal transactions and region illicit content. A blockchain hard fork is simply a imperishable divergence from the erstwhile mentation of the blockchain software, requiring each participants to upgrade to the caller protocol due to the fact that the caller and aged versions are incompatible. The portion cited purported leaked substance messages successful which Dashjr allegedly warned: “Either Bitcoin dies oregon we person to spot someone.” The communicative spread crossed X, drafting hundreds of thousands of views and intensifying a long-running philosophical rift: should Bitcoin stay a neutral colony layer, oregon should developers actively filter what counts arsenic morganatic usage of the network. Dashjr rejected the claims outright. “The information is I person not projected a hardfork oregon thing of the sort, and these atrocious actors are conscionable grasping astatine straws to slander maine and effort to undermine my efforts to prevention Bitcoin again,” helium wrote. The Rage responded with a meme to the effect of demanding to cognize who sent the leaked messages that its communicative shared. Dashjr repeated his presumption aggregate times implicit the pursuing 24 hours. “Nope, thing changed. Nobody is calling for a hard fork still." helium posted. In different reply, helium underlined: “There is nary hard fork.” — Jamie Crawley Read more.

U.N. DABBLES IN BLOCKCHAIN: The United Nations leaned into blockchain exertion to overhaul its ain pension system, and a study of that process concluded the innovation is the "ultimate exertion for integer individuality verification," which has spurred the UN toward extending the strategy and sharing it with different planetary groups. The UN — which has explored assorted blockchain uses implicit the years — tried it retired connected their United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), according to a achromatic insubstantial released this week that suggested its usage successful confirming people's identities tin assistance successful security, ratio and transparency. In practice with the Hyperledger Foundation, the UN sought to "improve and unafraid the UN pension process globally by putting a blockchain-supported integer recognition infrastructure into production." The UN pension money had been moving disconnected of a 70-year-old strategy to place beneficiaries successful 190 countries, relying connected a paper-based attack to beryllium much than 70,000 beneficiaries were who they said they were, inactive live and wherever they claimed to be. It was prone to mistake and abuse, and resulted successful astir 1,400 outgo suspensions each year, according to the document. So the enactment shifted to the blockchain-powered integer certification, opening with a 2020 aviator programme and a 2021 implementation. "The displacement distant from carnal documentation has substantially reduced processing times antecedently spent connected receiving, opening, scanning, and archiving insubstantial documents," the insubstantial said. — Jesse Hamilton Read more.

GATE ROLLS OUT TOKEN LAUNCHER: Crypto speech Gate unveiled Gate Fun, an on-chain level that allows users to contented and commercialized tokens without coding. The level runs connected Gate Layer, the company’s recently launched layer-2 network built connected the OP Stack. Gate claims users tin make tokens successful nether a infinitesimal by paying a tiny state interest successful GT, the network’s autochthonal token. Similar to fashionable token launcher Pump.fun, token parameters specified arsenic name, symbol, and archetypal acquisition options tin beryllium customized done a one-click interface. Gate Fun is accessible some via Web3 wallets similar MetaMask and Gate’s ain relationship system. Tokens launched connected the level tin beryllium traded crossed aggregate Gate products, including Gate Alpha, Meme Go and Swap. – Oliver Knight Read more.

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In Other News

Strategy (MSTR) volition station a nett for the 2nd 4th successful a enactment successful the 3rd 4th acknowledgment to a emergence successful the terms of bitcoin. That would again suffice the institution for imaginable S&P 500 inclusion. According to Jeff Walton, Chief Risk Officer of Strive, Strategy volition person earned astir $2.9 billion, oregon $10 per stock acknowledgment to bitcoin's determination from astir the $107,000 level to $114,000 astatine quarter's end. Over the past 4 quarters, MSTR volition person earned astir $22.80 per share. The investigation factors successful an estimated deferred taxation liability of $970 million, leaving a nett income estimated astatine $2.9 billion. The investigation concludes with an estimated trailing twelve-month net per stock (EPS) of $22.8, reflecting affirmative EPS successful Q2 and an estimated affirmative EPS successful Q3 2025 ($32.6 and $10.1, respectively) which offset antagonistic results successful Q4 2024 and Q1 2025— James Van Straten Read more.
Swiss integer plus slope Sygnum has launched a caller concern conveyance designed to make output connected Bitcoin without reducing investors’ vulnerability to its terms movements. The BTC Alpha Fund, developed successful concern with Athens-based Starboard Digital, uses arbitrage strategies to people nett yearly returns of 8%-10%, which are paid straight successful Bitcoin. The money is domiciled successful the Cayman Islands and caters to nonrecreational and organization investors. By converting arbitrage gains into bitcoin, participants tin summation the fig of coins they clasp portion inactive benefiting from bitcoin’s semipermanent terms appreciation. Sygnum said the merchandise has already drawn beardown involvement from clients looking for institutional-grade output options successful integer assets. The money comes arsenic organization investors are looking to spell beyond conscionable holding bitcoin successful their portfolio and usage decentralized concern (DeFi) to make much income from their BTC holdings. The bitcoin DeFi has gained popularity and has the imaginable to unfastened up a monolithic market, according to analysts. — Ian Allison Read more.

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Regulatory and Policy

The White House withdrew erstwhile Commodity Futures Trading Commissioner Brian Quintenz's information to tally the bureau precocious Tuesday, capping disconnected a month-long combat implicit U.S. President Donald Trump's prime for bureau chair. Trump tapped Quintenz soon aft retaking office. Quintenz joined task steadfast Andreessen Horowitz's planetary caput of policy, and has been an advisor to firms similar prediction marketplace Kalshi since leaving the CFTC pursuing his word arsenic commissioner. — Nikhilesh De Read more.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has cracked the doorway to invited crypto custody astatine a wide scope of firms who've earned authorities charters arsenic spot companies — a database that would see the spot affiliates of Coinbase, Kraken and different high-profile names successful crypto. The SEC's Division of Investment Management issued a so-called no-action missive connected Tuesday, a papers that assures that the regulator doesn't mean to prosecute immoderate enforcement actions by those engaging successful the circumstantial enactment — successful this case, that SEC-registered advisers and funds tin parkland integer assets successful authorities trusts. — Jesse Hamilton Read more.

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