Solana network testnet upgrade targets faster transaction finality speeds
Image: Bitcoin.com NewsSolana developers activated the Alpenglow consensus overhaul on two public test networks. The upgrade replaces TowerBFT with Votor. It targets transaction finality of 100 to 150 milliseconds, down from the current 12.8 seconds. The core protocol SIMD-0326 received governance approval in September 2025 with 98.27% of participating votes. Competing validator clients still need to complete work before the transition finishes, and speeds remain unproven under full mainnet conditions.
Key points
- Alpenglow is Solana's biggest consensus overhaul since launch and now operates on two public test networks.
- The upgrade replaces TowerBFT with Votor.
- Competing validator clients still need to complete work before the transition finishes, and speeds remain unproven under full mainnet conditions.
Why it matters
Faster finality speeds could improve network performance and efficiency for users across the Solana blockchain.
What's unclear
Speeds remain unproven under full mainnet conditions.
Competing validator clients still have work to do before the transition is complete.
Price context · SOL
At publication
$122.19
Now
$124.09
Change since
+1.55%
7 days · dashed line = publication
Sources · 2 publishers
Bitcoin.com News
Tier 2
Solana’s Alpenglow Hits Second Testnet, 100ms Finality in Sight
Coverage timeline
- First reported by ZyCrypto
- Confirmed by Bitcoin.com News
- CryptoVideos brief published
How this brief was made. Our system found this event in 2 independent publications, summarised two complete reports with AI and checked every number above against the source text. Sources are linked in full. Not financial advice. Report an error