SOL news: Solana sets Oct. 21 for Alpenglow upgrade targeting 150-millisecond finality
Solana plans to activate Alpenglow around 15:00 UTC on Oct. 21, replacing its TowerBFT voting system with direct validator vote exchanges and approval certificates. The upgrade targets irreversible transaction finality in about 150 milliseconds, though actual speed will depend on network conditions. Faster finality could let merchants and cross-chain bridges act sooner. Validator votes will no longer appear as on-chain transactions, potentially reducing reported transaction counts without a fall in user activity. Operators must use Agave 4.3.0 for the initial migration; Firedancer and Frankendancer validators will need to switch temporarily. The rollout begins at epoch 1064 and retains the old system for 5,000 slots before switching, roughly 18 minutes later. Validator fees will change from about 1 SOL per epoch in voting charges to a flat 0.8 SOL admission fee.
