Solana Leads Altcoins as Alpenglow Upgrade Proposal Enters Voting

TLDR

Table of Contents

Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade aims to cut block finality from 12.8s to 150ms.
SOL price rose 3.78% to $211 with trading volume up 43% to $12.7B.
Retail sentiment for SOL hits an 11-week high with 5.8 bullish comments per bear.
Alpenglow replaces Proof of History and Tower BFT with a faster consensus model.

Solana has seen a sharp rise in price and trading activity after entering the voting phase for its Alpenglow upgrade. The network aims to cut block finality time from 12.8 seconds to 150 milliseconds. As a result, Solana has outpaced most top altcoins this week, with both retail sentiment and trading volumes climbing to multi-week highs. The upgrade proposal, known as SIMD 0326, is now under community review.

Alpenglow Upgrade Moves to Voting Stage

Solana’s proposed Alpenglow consensus upgrade is currently in its community voting phase, spanning Epochs 840 to 842. Each epoch lasts around two days. Developed by Anza, a spin-off from Solana Labs, this upgrade seeks to replace Solana’s existing Proof of History and Tower BFT mechanisms with a new approach to reduce block finality.

If approved, the Alpenglow upgrade will cut finality time from 12.8 seconds to around 150 milliseconds. This could enhance Solana’s use in applications requiring near-instant confirmation times. Anza said that the upgrade would provide a more reliable, low-latency consensus model for developers and users.

To be implemented, the proposal needs at least two-thirds of all votes to be in favor. Current voter turnout stands at 9.87%, with 9.76% supporting the proposal. While developers and major validators have shown support, some community members are raising concerns over decentralization and reliability. Solana has faced past network issues, and some are watching for how the upgrade may affect stability.

SOL Price Climbs As Retail Sentiment Rises

Solana native token, SOL, has recorded a 3.78% price increase, reaching $211 as of the latest update. This move puts SOL near its February resistance level of $212. The recent price increase also comes with a 43% rise in daily trading volume, now at $12.7 billion, according to Coinglass data.

SOL futures open interest rose by 6.78% to over $13 billion, showing strong demand from traders. Blockchain analytics firm Santiment noted that retail sentiment has reached its highest point in 11 weeks. There are 5.8 bullish comments for every bearish one, which is currently higher than for most major altcoins.

This optimism appears tied directly to expectations surrounding the Alpenglow upgrade. With faster block times, users expect better performance in areas like trading, gaming, and real-time apps. Some analysts also noted that Solana’s network is well-positioned to benefit from the expanding stablecoin market.

Greg King, CEO of REX Financial, stated, “Solana’s technology makes it a strong contender in the future of stablecoins, especially compared to Ethereum.” His comments point to growing institutional interest in Solana as a platform for financial services.

Potential Use Cases and Developer Benefits

If approved, the Alpenglow upgrade will support applications that depend on speed and low latency, such as gaming, finance, and social platforms. Solana has already tested lower-latency models using optimistic confirmations. Alpenglow aims to formalize this into a consistent and verifiable process.

The proposal also focuses on improving the developer experience. With reduced confirmation delays, developers may find it easier to build apps that rely on quick user feedback. This could help attract more projects to the Solana ecosystem, which in turn could drive up network activity.

The upgrade also comes at a time when Solana is trying to increase its presence in the decentralized finance space. Faster finality could give Solana an edge over slower blockchains, especially those that still use traditional proof-of-work or slower proof-of-stake systems.

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