Avalanche, the layer-1 blockchain that launched in 2020 and currently ranks tenth in terms of total value locked (TVL), has activated its biggest update to date, Avalanche9000.
Announced today, the highly anticipated upgrade introduces extensive technical improvements designed to reduce costs and attract more developers to the ecosystem.
The update, also known as the Etna update, has been in development for months and includes seven key improvement proposals. These changes aim to reduce transaction fees, simplify validator processes, and improve the ability to create customized blockchains or subnets on Avalanche.
“Avalanche9000 is a critical step in our mission to bring developers into the Avalanche ecosystem and enable them to build private blockchains using subnets,” Avalanche leaders previously said.
Among the implemented recommendations, two stand out in terms of their potential impact:
- ACP-77: This introduces a new type of validator node that is cheaper to operate. The change is expected to lower the barrier for individuals and organizations to launch their own Avalanche-based subnets and encourage wider adoption of the blockchain’s infrastructure.
- ACP-125: This proposal significantly reduces the base fee on Avalanche’s C-chain, the network’s primary smart contract chain. The fee has been reduced from 25 nAVAX (approximately $0.00000098) to just 1 nAVAX ($0.00000004), making computation and interaction with smart contracts on the platform much more convenient.
Avalanche operates three main chains: C-chain for smart contracts, P-chain for staking and validator transactions, and X-chain for transferring and receiving funds. The changes to C-chain are expected to increase its competitiveness as a platform for decentralized applications (dApps).
The Avalanche Foundation hopes the update will attract developers to build on its platform and take advantage of the flexibility of subnetworks, which function as independent blockchains powered by Avalanche’s technology. Also called “Layer-1s,” the subnetworks allow developers to customize networks for specific applications, industries, or use cases.
*This is not investment advice.
