Solana’s Alpenglow launches on mainnet, targets 99% faster finality
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Written by
Simonas Brazionis - Updated 2026-10-28 12:47:02
Solana’s Alpenglow, the blockchain’s initial significant consensus upgrade, was deployed on the mainnet at approximately 1:54 pm UTC on Wednesday. This upgrade aims to decrease transaction finality by 99%, reducing it from roughly 12.8 seconds to an estimated 150 milliseconds. It replaces the existing TowerBFT consensus model.
The first phase of the upgrade, named Votor, replaces the existing voting and finalization mechanism. It introduces direct validator voting and a certificate-based system, designed to achieve the 150-millisecond transaction finality target. A subsequent phase will implement Rotor, a new block data-distribution protocol intended to supersede Turbine.
Impact and Network Performance
The target of 150-millisecond finality is intended to provide near-immediate transaction finality for users, potentially leading to faster payments, quicker trade settlements, and more responsive applications. Researchers from Anza, a Solana ecosystem contributor, stated that Alpenglow introduces the most substantial change to Solana’s core protocol since its inception.
They further noted that a 150-millisecond latency would enable Solana to compete with Web2 infrastructure in terms of responsiveness, potentially making blockchain technology viable for new application categories. At the time of the upgrade, the Solana mainnet recorded a transaction finality of 6.6 seconds and a throughput of 4,721 transactions per second, according to the Alpenglow dashboard.
Future Upgrades and Market Reaction
In August, Solana initiated its first slot time reduction since genesis, as part of a plan to halve slot times to 200ms, aiming to improve latency and accelerate confirmations. The fourth stage of this slot reduction plan was completed in October.
Following Solana’s Alpenglow, validators are expected to continue development on Agave 4.5. This proposed upgrade aims to increase the number of accounts supported by a versioned transaction from 64 to 96, which the Solana Foundation suggests could improve swap routes and execution prices. This upgrade is currently in development with a planned release in December 2026.
The price of the Solana (SOL) token increased by nearly 3% in the 24 hours preceding the upgrade, partially reversing a 42% decline observed over the past year.
