Cardano’s Dijkstra upgrade remains on its current technical roadmap, with developers planning to introduce Linear Leios and Nested Transactions in the first phase, followed by Ouroboros Peras in a second phase targeted for 2027.
According to Intersect’s Aug. 14 update, development is now moving beyond core design toward ecosystem preparation, testnet performance, governance requirements and support for alternative Cardano node implementations.
The roadmap currently targets Q4 2026 for Dijkstra Phase 1 code completion and Q2 2027 for the Peras activation. However, Cardano emphasizes that these dates are targets rather than guarantees, with testing and on-chain governance potentially affecting the final mainnet schedule.
Linear Leios Leads Dijkstra’s First Phase
Linear Leios is the centerpiece of Dijkstra’s first phase and is designed to significantly improve Cardano’s transaction throughput without replacing its existing Praos consensus foundation.
The architecture introduces Endorser Blocks, which can reference additional transactions and have them certified by stake-based committees. The objective is to increase network capacity while preserving Cardano’s underlying security model.
Phase 1 will also introduce:
- Nested Transactions
- New transaction and block serialization structures
- Plutus V4 changes
- Additional protocol parameters
- Infrastructure required for a future Peras activation
Peras itself will not be activated during the first phase.
Cardano’s July van Rossem hard fork, which moved the network to Protocol Version 11, already established some of the technical groundwork required for Dijkstra and the broader Leios scaling roadmap.
Peras Scheduled for 2027
The second phase of Dijkstra is centered on Ouroboros Peras, which is currently targeted for Q2 2027.
Peras introduces a voting mechanism that allows committees of stake pool operators to vote on recent chain tips. The objective is to provide Cardano with faster settlement than the standard chain-depth approach used under Praos.
Before Peras reaches mainnet, developers plan to conduct Preview and Pre-production deployments followed by another governance process.
Phase 1 must already be operational because it provides several of the ledger structures and protocol parameters required by Peras.
Amaru Moves Toward Block Production
Dijkstra is also part of Cardano’s broader effort to increase node-client diversity.
Intersect said Amaru, an open-source node implementation written in Rust, is already capable of operating as a relay and validating and synchronizing with the latest chain tip.
Its development roadmap targets a general block-producer release for September 30, followed by a Dijkstra-compatible milestone on October 29 and a Leios-compatible release on November 26.
These are development milestones rather than guarantees of corresponding mainnet activations.
Greater client diversity could reduce Cardano’s dependence on its existing Haskell-based node implementation and potentially strengthen the network’s resilience.
Intersect is also developing a Dijkstra readiness tracker covering testnet performance and ecosystem preparedness while encouraging alternative node teams to participate in its Hard Fork Working Group.
Governance Preparation Underway
Dijkstra will introduce protocol parameters that must fall within the limits established by Cardano’s Constitution.
To accommodate those changes, Input Output plans to propose a targeted constitutional amendment specifying the relevant parameters and their permitted ranges.
The proposed amendment would not change Cardano’s governance structure, voting thresholds or broader constitutional principles.
The current target is to submit the governance action no later than Epoch 655, beginning September 11. Community discussion is already taking place through Intersect’s Constitutional Amendment Portal.
What Comes Next for Cardano
The immediate priority is completing the Dijkstra codebase, establishing readiness requirements and moving the first phase through Preview and Pre-production testing.
The current roadmap remains unchanged:
Q4 2026: Dijkstra Phase 1 code-completion target, including Linear Leios and related infrastructure.
Q2 2027: Target for the second phase and Peras activation.
The important caveat is that these dates remain targets rather than fixed launch commitments. Cardano’s governance process, community testing and technical readiness could push the eventual mainnet activation beyond the stated windows.
If the roadmap holds, Dijkstra will mark another major step in Cardano’s scaling strategy, while Peras could later introduce faster settlement and Linear Leios could provide the foundation for substantially greater network throughput.
