Cryptocurrency Solana's (SOL) value surges past $200, as the network readies itself for rapid exchange transactions.
Solana, the high-performance blockchain network, is set to undergo its most significant rewrite in history with the upcoming Alpenglow upgrade. The announcement was made by the Solana Foundation, and the testnet debut of Alpenglow is scheduled for the Breakpoint conference in December 2025.
The Alpenglow upgrade promises to revolutionise transaction speeds and network performance on Solana. It replaces the current TowerBFT and Proof-of-History systems with two new components: Votor and Rotor.
Votor is a direct-vote system that finalises blocks through single or dual-round processes, while Rotor takes over the validator timestamping functions, reducing data transfer times and improving overall efficiency.
These changes are expected to cut transaction finality times from the current 12.8 seconds down to 100-150 milliseconds. This improvement is a significant step forward for Solana, making it more competitive in the rapidly evolving blockchain landscape.
The approval of the Alpenglow upgrade during the governance process saw 98.27% of validators cast their votes in favour. This strong support demonstrates market confidence in Solana's development roadmap and growing ecosystem.
The upgrade news has pushed Solana's price performance ahead of other major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Following the approval, Solana's price jumped to $209.
Shawn Young of MEXC Research projects that SOL could reach $215 by late September and $250 by year-end. These projections consider both the technical improvements and institutional treasury holdings that now exceed $1.7 billion.
However, traders are now watching the $217 level as a key resistance point for Solana's price. Whales are also positioning for further gains, with $14.06 million in net inflows on September 2, the strongest positive reading in several weeks.
The Alpenglow upgrade also changes Solana's economic model, moving validator voting off-chain and replacing transaction-based votes with a Validator Admission Ticket of 1.6 SOL per epoch. This reduction in bandwidth usage while preserving economic barriers that secure the validator set is another positive development for the network.
As we approach the testnet debut of Alpenglow, the anticipation among Solana enthusiasts is palpable. The upgrade is a testament to Solana's commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, and it sets the stage for an exciting future for the blockchain network.
%20value%20surges%20past%20%24200%2C%20as%20the%20network%20readies%20itself%20for%20rapid%20exchange%20transactions.){kind=link}