Solana validators have started voting on proposal SIMD-0326, known as 'Alpenglow'. This proposal aims to fully replace the current consensus system to accelerate block finality.
Essence of the Alpenglow Proposal
The Alpenglow proposal suggests a complete replacement of Solana's current consensus combination, including Proof-of-History for ordering and TowerBFT for agreement. The main goal is to reduce block finality from 12.8 seconds to 100-150 milliseconds.
New Voting Protocol
At the core of the design is Votor, a new direct-voting protocol. Validators would finalize blocks in one or two rounds depending on network conditions. A system of certificates will record outcomes, and cryptographic aggregates will reduce message volume, which is expected to decrease bandwidth usage and transaction confirmation time.
Changes in the Rewards System
If adopted, SIMD-0326 will introduce a new rewards model. Voting will occur off-chain with aggregated signatures. Each validator will earn rewards for each valid vote. There will also be a 'Validator Admission Ticket' burning 1.6 SOL per epoch.
If the SIMD-0326 proposal is approved, Solana will significantly improve its performance by reducing finality time and messaging costs while maintaining the existing block production model.
