Zcash Activates NU7 Upgrade, Cutting Block Times to 25 Seconds and Boosting Private Payment Capacity
Zcash has activated its NU7 network upgrade, reducing the target interval between blocks from 75 seconds to 25 seconds in a move designed to make private transactions confirm three times faster. The upgrade went live early Friday at block 3,543,405, mined at 02:34 UTC.
By 04:59 UTC, the network had processed another 225 blocks, with an average interval of approximately 39 seconds, according to ZecStats. Mining difficulty was still adjusting as the network moved toward its new block production target.
The shorter intervals are expected to improve the usability of Zcash payments by reducing waiting times for merchants, exchanges and users transferring funds between blockchains. However, the actual time before funds become available will continue to depend on each service's confirmation requirements.
Zcash NU7 Upgrade Targets Faster Private Payments
Zcash allows users to transfer funds while concealing the sender, recipient and transaction amount. Under the new block schedule, a merchant could receive a first confirmation in approximately 25 seconds on average.
Services requiring three confirmations could also see shorter processing times. An exchange using that threshold could reduce its expected waiting period from nearly four minutes to about 75 seconds.
These figures describe the expected timing under the new block target. Individual platforms and service providers determine their own confirmation policies, meaning customers may experience different waiting periods.
How Zcash Is Adapting to 25-Second Blocks
Reducing block intervals creates technical challenges because miners need time to receive and validate newly mined blocks before beginning work on the next one. If another miner produces a competing block during that period, the network may eventually discard it.
With less time between blocks, Zcash developers needed to address the risk of competing blocks and the additional workload associated with faster processing.
Zakura, Zcash node software developed by Valar Group and Project Tachyon, was tested across 80 computers distributed among 11 regions. The tests used blocks filled with transactions to evaluate network performance under demanding conditions.
During those tests, 3.43% of mined blocks were discarded under the 25-second schedule, compared with 1.57% at the previous 75-second interval.
Transaction Validation and Wallet Workload Changes
The software also introduces changes intended to reduce repeated transaction validation work. When a transaction first arrives, the node checks it and retains parts of the validation results. If the same transaction later appears in a block, the software can reuse that information rather than repeating the entire process.
Checks that rely on the latest account balances and blockchain history must still be performed again, according to the upgrade details.
NU7 also places limits on the amount of private transaction activity that can be included in each block. These restrictions address the workload imposed on wallets, which must scan blockchain data to identify payments intended for them.
Without limits, a large volume of transactions could increase the amount of data every wallet needs to process and download.
NU7 Could More Than Double Simple Private Payment Capacity
The upgrade specification estimates that the limits will reduce the worst-case daily download burden from 271 megabytes to 169 megabytes.
Combined with more frequent block production, the changes are projected to increase the capacity for simple private payments from approximately three transactions per second to more than six.
The figures represent estimates outlined in the upgrade specification. Actual network performance will depend on how the upgraded software operates under real-world conditions as mining difficulty continues adjusting to the shorter block interval.
source: coindesk
Writer: Ethan Collins
Crypto Journalist
Ethan Collins reports on developments across the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector. His work covers market movements, protocol updates, regulatory changes, and emerging trends in digital assets.
He focuses on presenting complex topics in a clear and accessible manner for a broad readership.
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