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Crypto · October 21, 2026

Solana’s Alpenglow launches on mainnet, targets 99% faster finality

4 sources →

Solana has launched its most significant consensus upgrade since 2020, titled 'Alpenglow', on the mainnet-beta. Developed by core engineering firm Anza, the upgrade replaces the original TowerBFT voting system. The primary objective of Alpenglow is to reduce transaction finality—the time it takes for a transaction to become irreversible—from approximately 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds, representing a reduction of roughly 99%. The upgrade went live at slot 459,653,000 following months of testing and a previous failed migration attempt.

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Hype check

How the hype check works

Confirmed · 2

Backed by filings, on-chain data, official statements or several independent publishers.

  • Alpenglow replaces TowerBFT consensus system. (Anza)
  • The upgrade went live on Wednesday at slot 459,653,000. (Anza)

Claimed · 2

Said by a company, project or person; not yet independently confirmed.

  • Transaction finality will be reduced to roughly 150 milliseconds. (Anza)
  • The upgrade will allow for more responsive applications and near-immediate settlement. (Cointelegraph)

Speculation · 1

Price talk, forecasts or unnamed sources, quoted as someone else's view.

  • Future upgrades include a post-quantum version called Quantumglow. (Anza via Decrypt)

Reported by multiple outlets

  • The Alpenglow upgrade launched on the Solana mainnet-beta on Wednesday.
  • The upgrade replaces the TowerBFT consensus/voting system.
  • The core development team behind Alpenglow is Anza.
  • Transaction finality is targeted to drop from approximately 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds.
  • This is the largest network overhaul for Solana since 2020.
  • The upgrade went live at slot 459,653,000.

Reported by only some outlets

  • CoinDesk notes that the testing phase included a previous failed migration and rollback.
  • Decrypt mentions future plans for a post-quantum version titled 'Quantumglow' without committed dates.
  • Cointelegraph describes the upgrade as offering 'near-immediate' transaction settlement for responsive applications.

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