Solana News Today: Solana Boosts Block Capacity 20% to 60M Units to Ease Memecoin Congestion

Solana (SOL) has increased its block capacity to 60 million compute units, a 20% rise from the prior 48 million limit, to address congestion caused by surges in memecoin trading and token launches. The upgrade, implemented on Tuesday, aims to improve transaction throughput during peak demand periods, particularly following incidents like the TRUMP$TRUMP and MELANIA$MELANIA memecoin launches, which strained the network and spiked fees [1]. Jito Labs, a key player in Solana’s ecosystem, has further proposed raising compute capacity to 100 million units by year-end—a 66% increase over the current limit—through the SIMD-0286 initiative. This move seeks to enhance efficiency for decentralized trading activity and accommodate growing demand from new applications [1].

The block limit directly influences how many transactions can be processed per second, with higher capacity expected to reduce fees and shorten wait times during traffic spikes. Core engineer Anza highlighted that the 100 million unit threshold could be implemented as early as July 23, following the recent 60 million adjustment [1]. Such improvements align with Solana’s broader infrastructure upgrades, including optimized validator performance, which has reduced median block propagation delays to under 600 milliseconds. Additionally, new state and account compression tools have lowered on-chain storage costs, aiding developers in GameFi and NFT projects [1].

The network’s scaling efforts contrast with Ethereum’s recent gas limit increase to 45 million units—the first adjustment since February—indicating competitive pressure on alternative blockchains to maintain transaction efficiency [1]. Meanwhile, Solana’s Proof of History (PoH) protocol continues to enable rapid transaction finality, further differentiating it in the market. The Solana Mobile Stack (SMS), including the Saga phone, is also driving adoption of mobile-first dApps, expanding use cases for decentralized finance (DeFi) and NFTs [1].

SOL’s price currently stands at $189.14, reflecting a +0.04% daily change, with a market capitalization of $101.79 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of $9.67 billion. The consistent liquidity underscores institutional and retail interest, particularly as developers seek high-speed networks with predictable costs [1]. Analysts note that Solana’s capacity upgrades could attract more dApp creators, mitigating risks of service interruptions caused by sudden user load spikes [1].

The focus on scalability follows broader industry trends, where memecoin frenzies and decentralized trading activity strain blockchain networks. By prioritizing infrastructure enhancements, Solana aims to solidify its position as a competitive platform for high-throughput applications. However, challenges remain in balancing rapid growth with network stability, particularly as demand for compute resources continues to evolve.

Source: [1] [title1Jito Labs Backs Further Solana Scaling After Memecoin-Driven Congestion] [url1https://coinmarketcap.com/community/articles/6882956c62fc924b0b927cfc/

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