Solana News Today: Solana's 150ms Finality Upgrade Could Redefine Blockchain Speed

Solana’s upcoming Alpenglow upgrade, aimed at reducing transaction finality to approximately 150 milliseconds, has received overwhelming support from the Solana community. As of the latest data, 99% of voters have endorsed the proposal, with the governance process nearing its conclusion on Tuesday at 1 pm UTC. The upgrade, developed by Anza — a Solana development firm — represents what many in the ecosystem are calling the most significant protocol change in the network’s history. If implemented, Alpenglow is expected to drastically improve Solana’s speed and responsiveness, potentially positioning it as one of the fastest layer-1 blockchains available. The current finality time of 12.8 seconds would be reduced by nearly 100-fold, allowing Solana to compete with the performance of Web2 infrastructure and even standard internet search engines.

The Alpenglow proposal includes two key components: Votor and Rotor. Votor is designed to handle voting transactions and block finalization, aiming to finalize blocks in a single round if 80% of the stake is participating. If only 60% of the stake is active, it would finalize in two rounds. This mechanism is expected to replace TowerBFT, Solana’s existing voting system. Rotor, the second component, is a new data dissemination protocol intended to replace Solana’s current proof-of-history timestamping system. By reducing the time it takes for all nodes to agree on the network state, Rotor aims to improve the network’s efficiency and scalability. Anza researchers have highlighted that the combination of Votor and Rotor would not only enhance speed but also support new categories of applications that require real-time performance.

The proposed upgrade introduces a "20+20" resilience model, allowing the chain to continue functioning even if 20% of validators are adversarial and another 20% are offline. This resilience is intended to improve the security and fairness of the network for validators. Despite these enhancements, the Alpenglow upgrade will not fully address the issue of past network outages, which have historically been linked to the reliance on a single production-ready client, Agave. However, an independent validator client, Firedancer, is expected to launch later this year, offering much-needed client diversification for the network. This development is viewed as a critical step toward improving the robustness and reliability of Solana’s infrastructure.

Analysts have pointed to the Alpenglow upgrade as a potential catalyst for Solana’s price performance. With Solana (SOL) currently trading above $200, many market participants believe that the upgrade could drive further bullish momentum. The 4-hour chart shows SOL trading within an ascending channel, and the Supertrend indicator supports the idea of a continued upward trend. Analysts project that, if combined with potential ETF approvals and increased institutional adoption, the price of SOL could reach $250 by the end of the fourth quarter and potentially climb as high as $419 in a highly bullish scenario. These projections are based on the assumption that broader market conditions, including potential Fed rate cuts, will support overall market sentiment.

From a technical perspective, the daily chart also indicates strong momentum for Solana. The MACD remains positive, and the Money Flow Index reflects sustained capital inflows. If Solana’s price continues to hold above key support levels, it is likely to test the $252.47 resistance next. A successful breakout could open the door to further gains toward $295.35. Conversely, a broader market downturn could see the price retreat to as low as $142.27.

The Alpenglow upgrade represents a pivotal moment for Solana’s evolution as a blockchain platform. By enhancing speed, resilience, and real-time performance, Solana is positioning itself not only as a leader among layer-1 blockchains but also as a viable competitor to traditional internet infrastructure. The success of this upgrade could have far-reaching implications for the network’s role in decentralized finance, gaming, and other high-activity applications, potentially reshaping the blockchain landscape in the process.

Source:

[1] 99% Favor Solana Alpenglow Upgrade for 150ms Finality (https://cointelegraph.com/news/99-percent-solana-voters-favor-alpenglow-upgrade)

[2] Solana Targets Near-Instant Finality as Alpenglow Upgrade Heads to Vote (https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/08/28/solana-targets-near-instant-finality-as-alpenglow-upgrade-heads-to-vote)

[3] Solana Price Analysis: Will Alpenglow Send SOL to $400? (https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/solana-price-sol-2025-prediction-alpenglow-upgrade/)