Solana Cuts Mainnet Slot Time to 350ms in First-Ever Speed Reduction

Solana has taken its first step towards faster block production times by trimming its mainnet slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350ms. This change, which took effect on August 21 with the start of epoch 1020, is the first in a series of four planned reductions aimed at reaching a goal of 200ms.

The network's mainnet slot time has been running on a 400ms target since its inception. However, according to Jacob Creech, vice president of technology at the Solana Foundation, this marks 'a new era of 350ms' and sets the stage for further improvements in block production times.

The four-stage plan outlined in SIMD-0525 will see slot times reduced incrementally from 350ms to 200ms. Before each stage can be implemented, nearly two-thirds of staked validators must opt-in to the change. The rollout is designed to be halted if block-skip rates start rising.

While quicker slots translate to faster confirmations, they do not directly increase the network's overall throughput. Average slot times are currently hovering around 360 milliseconds, with no activation date set for the next stage of 300ms.