{"id":33176,"date":"2026-08-13T10:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/?p=33176"},"modified":"2026-08-13T10:43:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:43:58","slug":"solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66","title":{"rendered":"Solana Expands Block Capacity by 66%"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Alternar tabla de contenidos\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66\/#what_is_a_compute_unit_and_why_it_measures_a_blocks_capacity\" >What Is a Compute Unit and Why It Measures a Block&#8217;s Capacity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66\/#why_the_limit_has_been_raised_now_and_not_before\" >Why the Limit Has Been Raised Now and Not Before<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66\/#what_changes_for_the_network_and_what_does_not\" >What Changes for the Network and What Does Not<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66\/#what_sustains_such_a_decision_in_a_decentralized_network\" >What Sustains Such a Decision in a Decentralized Network<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/solana-expands-block-capacity-by-66\/#faq\" >FAQ<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span><p>On July 29, 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/all-about-solana-sol\">Solana<\/a> activated <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/solana-foundation\/solana-improvement-documents\">SIMD-0286<\/a> on its mainnet, an upgrade that raises the maximum work that fits in each block from 60 to 100 million units. In practice, each block now has\u00a0<strong>66% more capacity<\/strong>\u00a0to process transactions, without changing the 400 milliseconds it takes to produce one. Below, we explain what those compute units are, why the limit has been raised now, and what it implies for the network.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33177 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-21.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-21-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_is_a_compute_unit_and_why_it_measures_a_blocks_capacity\"><\/span><strong>What Is a Compute Unit and Why It Measures a Block&#8217;s Capacity<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Compute units (CU)<\/strong>\u00a0are how Solana measures the computational cost of processing transactions. Think of them as seats on an airplane: each instruction within the network\u2014a transfer, a DeFi operation, or an oracle write\u2014spends a certain amount of CU or\u00a0<strong>\u00abseats.\u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0Each block has a maximum capacity budget.<\/p>\n<p>Before this <a href=\"https:\/\/solanafloor.com\/news\/solana-block-capacity-up-66-following-simd-0286-activation\">upgrade<\/a>, the airplane had 60 million seats, and when that budget ran out during activity peaks, the remaining transactions had to wait for the next one. Now the airplane has\u00a0<strong>100 million seats<\/strong>, allowing more transactions to fit in each block without being left on the waiting list.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to clarify that measuring the limit in compute units is not the same as\u00a0<strong>\u00abtransactions per second\u00bb (TPS)<\/strong>\u00a0, as the final TPS depends on the individual complexity of each operation and other network factors.<\/p>\n<p>During calm periods, 60 million CU provided plenty of margin, but during high-demand moments, that ceiling acted as a bottleneck. Although the network implemented SIMD-0256 to raise the limit from 50 to 60 million CU, developer pressure continued to increase, making this new capacity jump necessary.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why_the_limit_has_been_raised_now_and_not_before\"><\/span><strong>Why the Limit Has Been Raised Now and Not Before<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The increase responds to the growing demand from applications such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/cex-and-dex-what-are-the-differences\">DEX<\/a>, restaking, and MEV. According to the Solana Foundation,\u00a0<strong>11.2% of blocks were nearing saturation<\/strong>\u00a0by exceeding 56M CU during traffic peaks, causing transaction failures and higher fees.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33178 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2-16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"612\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2-16.jpg 612w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2-16-300x133.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The key moment came after validating Lucas Bruder&#8217;s (Jito Labs) proposal on devnet and meeting an essential condition: that\u00a0<strong>more than 70% of the stake operated with XDP.<\/strong>\u00a0This technology accelerates data propagation between validators, allowing capacity to be expanded to <a href=\"https:\/\/solana.com\/upgrades\/100m-cu-blocks\">100M<\/a> without creating network bottlenecks.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_changes_for_the_network_and_what_does_not\"><\/span><strong>What Changes for the Network and What Does Not<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"height: 99px;\" width=\"1131\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>What DOES change<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>What DOES NOT change<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Total capacity:<\/strong>\u00a0More transactions fit per block (+66%).<\/td>\n<td><strong>Generation time:<\/strong>\u00a0Remains at 400 ms per slot.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Peak margin:<\/strong>\u00a0Fewer failures due to congestion during high-traffic periods.<\/td>\n<td><strong>Per-account limit:<\/strong>\u00a0Remains at 12M CU maximum per writable account.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>App operation:<\/strong>\u00a0DeFi protocols and oracles can aggregate operations more smoothly.<\/td>\n<td><strong>Compatibility:<\/strong>\u00a0Zero code changes required for existing dApps.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Maintaining the individual per-account limit at 12M CU while raising the total to 100M aims to ensure that the extra capacity is distributed across many different applications and prevents a single dApp or bot from absorbing all the block space.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_sustains_such_a_decision_in_a_decentralized_network\"><\/span><strong>What Sustains Such a Decision in a Decentralized Network<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Behind this jump, there is not a single precept but a process of\u00a0<strong>technical governance and community consensus.<\/strong>\u00a0Proposed in May 2025 by Lucas Bruder, the SIMD-0286 improvement was prudently tested on testnet and devnet before reaching the mainnet.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33179 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-26.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-26-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Going directly from 60M to 100M CU was possible thanks to the accumulated progress in validator clients and the prior adoption of XDP by\u00a0<strong>more than 70% of the stake.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For the average user, the change is completely invisible: the wallet works the same, but the network responds more smoothly. This demonstrates how a decentralized blockchain evolves through open proposals, technical validation, and coordinated deployment. Now the question is no longer whether the network can scale, but how long it will take for demand to approach the new ceiling.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"faq\"><\/span><strong>FAQ<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What is Solana&#8217;s SIMD-0286 upgrade?<\/strong>It is a mainnet change that raises the compute limit per block from 60 to 100 million units, increasing its capacity by 66%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Does this improvement affect block confirmation time?<\/strong> The network&#8217;s speed remains intact, processing one block every 400 milliseconds.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What direct benefit does this upgrade bring to the user?<\/strong>It reduces congestion during high-traffic periods, preventing failed transactions and increasing the overall smoothness of applications.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do developers need to adapt their dApps&#8217; code?<\/strong> The improvement is fully compatible with the current infrastructure and does not require modifications to existing code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span>Solana activated SIMD-0286 on July 29, 2026, and will expand each block&#8217;s capacity by 66%, from 60 to 100 million compute units.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":33170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrencies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33176"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33293,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33176\/revisions\/33293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}