tl;dr
Solana developers have proposed a "lattice-based" hashing system to overhaul how the blockchain handles user accounts, aiming to address scalability issues. The upgrade could set a new standard for blockchain scalability and influence how other networks approach similar challenges. The proposed syst...
Solana developers have proposed a "lattice-based" hashing system to overhaul how the blockchain handles user accounts, aiming to address scalability issues. The upgrade could set a new standard for blockchain scalability and influence how other networks approach similar challenges.
The proposed system aims to scale Solana to billions of accounts and compute a "hash of all accounts" efficiently, eliminating the need to recalculate the entire state of user accounts regularly. This upgrade, utilizing "homomorphic hashing," allows for instant verification and reduces computational overhead while maintaining security.
The proposal is set for network-wide activation through validator voting, with a recommended gradual rollout for node preparation.
Solana developers have put forward a proposal that could transform how its blockchain handles billions of user accounts, addressing one of the biggest hurdles facing mainstream adoption. The proposal introduces a "lattice-based" hashing system that fundamentally changes how the blockchain tracks and verifies user account states. Following approval, the proposal could set a new standard for blockchain scalability, potentially influencing how other networks approach similar scaling challenges.
"The main goal is to scale Solana to billions accounts and compute a 'hash of all accounts' in practical time and space," the proposal reads, outlining a solution to a challenge that has long plagued high-performance blockchains.
Currently, Solana and other blockchains need to recalculate the entire state of all user accounts regularly. However, this process becomes increasingly demanding as the network grows. The issue has been dubbed the "state growth problem " among blockchain developers.
Solana Labs co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko discussed the challenge in May last year. "The problem comes down to this simple thing: New account creation has to actually create new accounts. Which means that a new account has to prove that it is new somehow," Yakovenko said.
The Accounts Lattice Hash upgrade eliminates that requirement by enabling instant verification without having to calculate everything again. The approach borrows from an advanced cryptographic technique called "homomorphic hashing" that allows the network to update its state verification by only processing changed accounts.
With this new system, the same 128-bit security level is maintained while also dramatically reducing computational overhead. Early implementations of the new system have shown promising results, with two validator clients, Agave and Firedancer, demonstrating its practical viability, according to the proposal’s authors. Decrypt has reached out to the authors and Yakovenko to learn more.
The upgrade will be introduced through Solana's formal improvement process, requiring network-wide activation through validator voting. Developers recommend a gradual rollout, allowing nodes to pre-compute the new hashing system before fully activating it.