On September 26, 2024, the Avalanche Foundation announced a $40 million grant program called Retro9000. It is related to the Avalanche9000 upgrade, which aims to simplify the development of layer-1 (L1) blockchains.

Supporting Developers on the Avalanche Network

The Retro9000 program offers financial support to developers testing and launching projects on the Avalanche testnet. This initiative is part of the broader Avalanche9000 upgrade, the most significant since the mainnet launch. Avalanche aims to lower the economic barriers for developers deploying L1 blockchains. The program will reward developers working on critical ecosystem components, including developer tools and L1 blockchains, by offering retroactive grants based on community voting. The program includes a public leaderboard where developers’ submissions are ranked by community feedback.

New Features in the Avalanche9000 Upgrade

Avalanche9000 promises a more developer-friendly environment with technical enhancements and economic incentives for blockchain projects. Among the key upgrades is the Avalanche Consensus Protocol (ACP-77), which aims to improve scalability and interoperability for projects built on the network. The upgrade also introduces several new features: * Etna Upgrade: A technical improvement enhancing network performance. * Updated Nomenclature: Simplifying how developers interact with the network. * Developer and Community Incentives: Boosting engagement and support for ecosystem growth. * Core Browser Hub: A unified dashboard for developers working on Avalanche. One of the most anticipated features is the Avalanche Interchain Messaging (ICM), enabling communication between different L1 blockchains on the network, ensuring greater interoperability.

Avalanche's Vision for a Multi-Chain Future

Avalanche9000 is built around the idea of many L1s working together, each contributing to the scalability and growth of the overall network. Unlike traditional blockchain networks, where a single L1 is responsible for all transactions and data storage, Avalanche envisions a network of interconnected L1s. Each new chain added to the network increases its overall capacity, allowing for greater scalability without sacrificing performance. Since 2020, Avalanche has been working towards this multi-chain vision. With Avalanche L1s, developers reportedly have full control over staking, gas tokens, and validator sets.

The launch of the Retro9000 program and the Avalanche9000 upgrade marks a significant step in the development of the Avalanche network, aimed at supporting developers and creating a multi-chain ecosystem.