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Solana’s ‘Alpenglow’ upgrade could arrive next quarter, co-founder Yakovenko says
Speaking at Consensus Miami 2026, the Solana co-founder said that he is excited to see ‘Alpenglow’ upgrade go live later this year, which could come as early as next quarter.
May 5, 2026, 5:24 p.m. 2 min read
What to know:
- Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko said the upcoming Alpenglow upgrade, expected as soon as next quarter, marks a key step toward improving the network’s speed, reliability and transaction finality.
- The upgrade aims to bring transaction confirmation closer to the “speed of light,” strengthening Solana’s positioning as infrastructure for high-performance, global-scale financial applications.
In simple terms, Alpenglow is about making Solana faster, more predictable and more secure at its core. Blockchains like Solana rely on a network of computers to agree on the order of transactions. Today, that process can introduce delays or uncertainty depending on network conditions.
Alpenglow aims to tighten those guarantees. Yakovenko described a system where transaction confirmations approach the physical limits of how fast information can travel, essentially, near the “speed of light” around the globe. For users and developers, that means quicker finality (knowing a transaction is permanently settled) and a more reliable foundation for building applications.
