Solana’s geographic speed plan trusts validator locations the network cannot verify
Two open Solana proposals would reorder stake-weighted leader schedules so geographically nearby validators produce blocks consecutively, aiming to reduce handover delays and lessen advantages for validators near stake hubs. Simulations using epoch 1038 data reduce mean honest-validator handover delay from 36.2 ms to 17.0 ms, without changing validators’ total leader windows. The design uses self-reported locations, which are not physically verified; tests found most sampled false location claims offered little benefit, but one improved modeled delay. Grouping also allows consecutive control to extend across bins: a simulated 5%-stake attacker reached six successive windows. The authors flag regional disruption and censorship risks. Both specifications remain open proposals, not deployed changes, and the geographic schedule would require a feature gate.
