Solana has reduced its blockchain slot time to 350 milliseconds, marking the first reduction since the network launched as developers work toward a longer-term target of 200 milliseconds.
Jacob Creech, vice president of technology at the Solana Foundation, announced the milestone on Friday, saying the network had entered a new 350ms era with 300ms as the next target.
At the time of reporting, Solana’s average slot time was around 360 milliseconds, already below its original 400ms target.
Solana Targets Faster Confirmations
Slot time determines how frequently a blockchain produces new slots. Shorter intervals can reduce network latency and allow transactions to be processed and confirmed more quickly.
The Solana Foundation outlined plans in June to gradually reduce the network’s slot time from 400ms to 200ms. The roadmap includes three additional 50ms reductions after the latest move to 350ms.
The changes are intended to improve transaction responsiveness and reduce the time users and applications wait for confirmations.
Agave v4.2 to Support the Upgrade
The planned reductions are expected to be implemented through Agave v4.2, the Solana validator client developed by Anza. However, the activation schedule remains tentative.
The underlying proposal, SIMD-0525, established the technical framework for reducing slot times. The proposal was approved and merged on May 14.
If the full roadmap is completed, Solana’s target of 200ms would represent a 50% reduction from the network’s original 400ms slot time.
The latest 350ms milestone therefore represents an early step toward a faster Solana network, with the next test coming as developers work toward the 300ms and ultimately 200ms targets.
