In Brief:
- Cardano network proposed a new update to increase the Block size by 11%.
- In addition, a separate update has also been triggered to increase Plutus script memory units per transaction.
- The increase in block size and memory units will be reflected at the boundary of epoch 319 on 4 Feb at 21:44:51 UTC
Input Output, the development company behind the Cardano network, announced the latest performance enhancements. The proposed update will increase the network’s block size by 11% on Wednesday. Blocks are batches of transactions that are recorded and confirmed on a blockchain.
The total block size will increase by 8KB, from 72 KB to 80 KB. The increased size of the blocks will be able to carry more transactions.
In addition, another update proposal has also been triggered to increase Plutus script memory units per transaction on the Cardano mainnet from the current 12.5 million to 14 million, a total increase of 1.5 million. Plutus is the smart contract platform of the Cardano blockchain.
Also, it will provide additional resources for Plutus scripts to improve the DApp user experience while increasing overall network capacity.
The increase in block size and memory units will be reflected at the boundary of epoch 319 on 4 Feb at 21:44:51 UTC and are in line with the announced plan to scale and optimize. These adjustments form part of a planned series of network optimization.
While observing the cumulative impact of parameter changes, Cardano developers will monitor and assess network response over at least one epoch (5 days) before implementing further adjustments.
The network has been designed to safely manage high peak loads and will improve as it undergoes additional optimization. Users might experience increased and often significant load around highly-anticipated new DApp launches and large NFT drops.
Cardano also plans to steadily optimize in a series of measured steps this year. In December last year, Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson shared plans for 2022, aiming to methodically scale the blockchain for future growth.
Input Output also announced that it is committed to delivering the ‘Basho’ scaling phase of the Cardano roadmap through 2022 as the ecosystem grows. Also, the latest update proposals will improve speed and additional network capacity while maintaining security for the seamless user experience.
