Solana Boosts Block Capacity by 20%, Aiming for 100 Million Computational Units

The Solana network has boosted its block capacity by 20%, increasing it to 60 million compute units (CU), as announced by Mert Mumtaz, co-founder and CEO of infrastructure company Helius.

This upgrade enables more transactions to be processed within a single block. Previously, the limit was set at 48 million CU before being gradually raised to 50 million CU to ensure system stability, a test that was successfully completed according to Mumtaz.

Looking ahead, developers aim to at least double the existing block capacity.

Mumtaz highlighted that this enhancement will lower transaction fees while maintaining demand, provide added opportunities for developers, and improve the overall user experience.

Furthermore, Solana developers have proposed raising the compute unit limit from 60 million to 100 million to increase network throughput by 66%. The relevant SIMD-0286 document has been published on GitHub.

This increase will enable complex applications, such as order book-based DEXs and MEV auctions, to operate without encountering budget overflow errors, although it will also put additional pressure on validators.

The push for expanded limits is driven by the growing activity in restaking protocols, NFT minting, and DePIN projects, which are increasingly taking up space in blocks.

The proposal is currently under discussion and testing, and it will be implemented with one of the upcoming software updates, activating automatically after validator approval.

In light of this news, the price of SOL surpassed $200. At the time of writing, the price of the «people’s cryptocurrency» had adjusted to $182.25, according to CoinGecko. Over the past week, the asset has appreciated by 4.9%, and over the month, it has risen by 24.6%.

Some companies have started accumulating Solana. DeFi Development Corp announced that it is nearing ownership of 1 million SOL. Meanwhile, mining firm Bit Mining reported plans to raise up to $300 million to establish a SOL treasury.

On-chain analyst Ali Martinez pointed out a breakout from a classic «cup and handle» pattern. He predicts that Solana prices could reach $131.5.

This pattern is considered a bullish signal, indicating the potential for a continued upward trend following a consolidation period. A breakout above the upper limit of the pattern paves the way for significant growth.

Additionally, CoinDesk’s managing editor, Omkar Godbole, found a «golden cross» on Solana’s chart, reinforcing the bullish sentiment.