Cardano Prepares Major Update to Enhance Performance

Charles Hoskinson believes that Cardano will be complete after the deployment of Leios. For the founder of the network, this upgrade must bring the processing capacity that is still lacking in the blockchain. However, between technical ambitions and the reality on the ground, several steps remain to be taken.

In Brief

• Charles Hoskinson claims that Cardano will be complete after Leios, once decentralized consensus, open governance, eUTXO, Plutus, and scalability are brought together.
• Leios aims for a processing capacity two to thirty times higher than the current one. In September, a test demonstrated a throughput of about 1,000 transactions per second.
• The public testnet Musashi Dojo started in June and continues its trials. The arrival on the main network is expected this year.

Leios, the Final Step According to Hoskinson

It all started with a question posed on X: Is Cardano finally finished? Charles Hoskinson answers directly: "After Leios, yes". In other words, he believes that this upgrade will bring together the main features he desires for the network.

In his response, he notably cites decentralized consensus, open governance, the eUTXO accounting model, the Plutus language, scalability, formal methods, several independent implementations of nodes, and millions of ADA holders. For him, Leios represents much more than just a technical improvement.

Moreover, the founder recently mentioned a concept related to Midnight, the privacy-focused blockchain within the ecosystem. In his message on X, he presents this idea as the major project of his career, without revealing the details.

Leios Promises a Much Faster Network

In concrete terms, Leios is expected to improve Cardano's throughput without compromising its decentralization. The current protocol, Ouroboros Praos, prioritizes security. Leios plans to add approval blocks and committee validation to accelerate transaction processing.

However, the announced gains vary according to estimates. The documentation mentions a capacity multiplied by two to thirty, while some statements from Hoskinson suggest more ambitious targets. Input Output has highlighted a test conducted in September, with about 1,000 transactions per second. The initial steps, however, aim for more modest levels.

To track progress, developers launched the public testnet Musashi Dojo on June 23. It progresses through five phases and is currently in the Fire phase. Deployment on the main network is still planned before the end of the year, subject to test results and technical decisions.

Will Cardano Really Be Finished?

Ultimately, it all depends on the definition of the word "complete". Some community members believe that Cardano cannot claim this status as long as Leios, Hydra, and other elements of its roadmap are not functioning on the main network.

Hoskinson, on the other hand, advocates for an approach based on research and gradual development. He speaks of a new era of exponential growth for crypto while prioritizing scientific advancements.

However, the success of Cardano does not solely depend on its technical performance. The price of ADA remains far from its peaks, while token sales by large whales in early October remind us that investor confidence follows its own dynamics.

In conclusion, Leios could mark the culmination of Hoskinson's initial vision. But for users, Cardano will only truly be complete if its promises translate into concrete results.