Firedancer Developers Propose Upgrade to Make Solana Even Faster

Solana’s developer ecosystem continues to push the limits of blockchain performance. In a new proposal from Jump Crypto’s Firedancer team, the network could see a major upgrade that removes Solana’s fixed compute block limit, paving the way for faster transaction speeds and higher scalability.

The proposal, called SIMD-0370, would eliminate the 60 million compute unit (CU) cap per block and instead allow block size to scale dynamically based on the hardware capacity of validators. 

If adopted, the change would mark another step in Solana’s journey to become the fastest, most resilient blockchain for high-volume decentralized applications.

What Is the Firedancer Upgrade?

Firedancer is a high-performance validator client built by Jump Crypto to increase Solana’s resilience and reduce network outages. It launched on mainnet in limited capacity in September 2024 and is steadily being expanded.

The new block limit removal proposal is part of Firedancer’s roadmap. By allowing blocks to grow beyond the static limit, validators with stronger hardware can handle more complex blocks, while weaker validators would skip them. This creates a “performance flywheel”:

• Block producers pack in more transactions
• Producers earn higher fees
• Validators are incentivized to upgrade hardware
• The network gains overall speed and throughput

Timeline: Alpenglow First, Firedancer Next

The proposed upgrade is expected to roll out sometime after Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade, which is scheduled for testnet deployment in December 2025.

Alpenglow will lay the groundwork with improvements in network synchronization and validator performance. Once that is complete, Firedancer’s block size change will push Solana further into high-performance territory, potentially handling orders of magnitude more transactions.

Benefits of Removing Block Limits

This proposal could bring several advantages to the Solana ecosystem:

• Increased throughput by allowing validators to process larger blocks.
• Higher fee incentives for block producers who maximize block size.
• Faster execution of decentralized apps that demand high transaction speeds.
• Greater efficiency as validators compete to optimize hardware and code.
• Improved resilience against congestion and spikes in activity.

Read more: Wall Street Joins Solana: Forward Industries to Launch Tokenized Shares

Risks and Centralization Concerns

While the performance boost is attractive, some developers have raised concerns about centralization risks. Smaller validators with less powerful hardware may be unable to keep up with dynamically scaling block sizes. This could lead to:

• Reduced participation from independent or smaller validators
• Greater dominance by large, well-funded operators
• A shift toward fewer but more powerful validators

Balancing speed with decentralization will be key to maintaining Solana’s long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

The Firedancer proposal to remove Solana’s fixed block limit represents one of the boldest steps yet in blockchain scalability. By tying performance directly to validator capabilities, Solana could set new records for speed and throughput. 

However, ensuring that decentralization is preserved remains a challenge the community must carefully navigate. Together with the upcoming Alpenglow upgrade, Firedancer positions Solana as a leading contender for enterprise-grade blockchain adoption.

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FAQ

What is Firedancer on Solana?

Firedancer is a high-performance validator client developed by Jump Crypto to improve Solana’s speed, resilience, and validator diversity.

What is the SIMD-0370 proposal?

SIMD-0370 is a Firedancer proposal to remove Solana’s fixed 60M compute unit block limit, allowing block sizes to scale dynamically based on validator hardware.

When will the Firedancer block upgrade happen?

It is expected to be implemented sometime after the Alpenglow upgrade, which goes live on testnet in December 2025.

How does this upgrade benefit Solana users?

It could allow more transactions per block, lower fees, and faster execution of decentralized applications, especially in high-traffic periods.

What risks come with removing Solana’s block limit?

The main risk is centralization, as smaller validators may be pushed out if they cannot afford hardware upgrades, leaving more control with larger operators.