A transition of the Solana blockchain to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism has been proposed through the Alpenglow fork, which is being described as the network’s most significant change to date.
Anza, a spinoff of Solana Labs, has proposed a major alteration to the blockchain’s consensus system by recommending the replacement of the existing proof-of-history (PoH) model with a proof-of-stake (PoS) framework.
Solana Labs introduced the Alpenglow hard fork during last week’s Solana Accelerate conference in New York, aiming to reduce block finality time to just 150 milliseconds. This improvement should allow the Layer 1 blockchain to compete effectively with Layer 2 solutions in high-speed trading use cases.
In a blog post, Anza co-founders Roger Wattenhofer, Quentin Kniep, and Kobi Sliwinski stated that Alpenglow would represent a major milestone for Solana, describing it as not just a new consensus protocol but the most significant modification to Solana’s core protocol to date.
Solana currently finalizes blocks in 12.8 seconds. During the Accelerate conference, Wattenhofer described optimistic confirmations—achieved in about 500 to 600 milliseconds—as “somewhat certain” indicators of block acceptance. Simulations show that the Alpenglow upgrade could reduce finality time to around 150 milliseconds.
Wattenhofer, Kniep, and Sliwinski stated that achieving a median latency of 150 milliseconds means more than just speed for Solana. They emphasized that this level of responsiveness positions Solana to compete with traditional Web2 infrastructure, potentially enabling blockchain technology to support a broader range of real-time applications once thought unattainable.
Yakovenko Gives Endorsement
This level of speed in Alpenglow is attained through the use of two key components. One is Votor, responsible for handling voting transactions and the finalization of blocks, while the other is Rotor, which is designed to replace Solana’s current proof-of-history consensus with a proof-of-stake model.
Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko shared in an X post that Votor aims to finalize blocks within a single voting round when 80% of stakers actively participate. If only 60% respond, the system completes finalization in two rounds
Wattenhofer, Kniep, and Sliwinski explained that the protocol’s unique “20+20” resilience allows it to function efficiently in challenging network conditions, even when facing up to 20% adversarial stake and an additional 20% non-responsive stake.
Yakovenko acknowledged that he misunderstood most aspects of consensus but correctly identified its critical elements: block producers must use full bandwidth without interruption, and users must receive deterministic finality within a single round (2-delta).
He further emphasized that Alpenglow effectively meets both essential requirements through a design that remains straightforward and intuitively understandable.
Garzik Voices Doubts
Bitcoin core developer Jeff Garzik—who had contributed to Bitcoin development since the era of Satoshi Nakamoto—stated during a Zoom call with The Defiant that achieving such high speeds would require compromises to security.
Jeff Garzik is currently developing the Hemi blockchain, a Bitcoin Layer 2 solution that offers 12-second finality and is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
When asked about blockchain security, he remarked that a speed threshold exists—one that fiber optic cables cannot surpass when transmitting data across oceans within fixed milliseconds. He explained that pushing beyond this limit sacrifices decentralization for performance and, as a result, compromises security in favor of speed.
Garzik highlighted Solana’s previous network halts and blockchain restarts, stating that the network “is not entirely failure-proof at this time.” He explained that this concern led him to choose Bitcoin and Ethereum—rather than Solana—as the foundation for his development efforts.
Garzik acknowledged the enthusiasm of Solana users and expressed a desire to establish technological connections with them. However, he stated that, in his view, Hemi and Bitcoin—though slower—offer significantly more security.
Solana’s Breakout Year of Growth and Gains
Solana has delivered a strong performance this year, surpassing other Layer 1 blockchains in both token value and ecosystem revenue, largely fueled by the growing popularity of memecoins.
Solana holds a market capitalization of $90 billion and ranks as the sixth-largest cryptocurrency. Stablecoins deployed on its blockchain recently reached a new all-time high.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regards Solana as one of the stronger candidates for potential approval as an exchange-traded fund (ETF). However, the SEC has postponed action on several Solana ETF proposals while it continues reviewing concerns about market manipulation and investor protection.
