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SOL News: Solana Sets Oct. 21 for Alpenglow Upgrade Targeting 150-Millisecond Finality
The upgrade replaces TowerBFT and cuts validator vote charges as merchants and bridges could act sooner on near-instant finality.
On October 21, Solana will launch the Alpenglow upgrade, aiming to make transactions irreversible in roughly 150 milliseconds by replacing the TowerBFT voting system used since 2020.
Alpenglow changes how computers agree on payments by allowing validators to exchange votes directly, creating certificates that finalize blocks after one or two voting rounds instead of multiple consensus steps.
Scheduled for epoch 1064 around 15:00 UTC on October 21, the migration requires operators to use software built on Agave 4.3.0. Voting costs shift from roughly 1 SOL per epoch to 0.8 SOL.
Operators using alternative programs Firedancer and Frankendancer must switch temporarily because these will not support the initial migration. Solana will continue using the old voting system for the first 5,000 slots before switching.
While payments can already appear successful, Alpenglow ensures finality by providing a stronger guarantee that transactions cannot be undone, helping merchants and bridges release funds faster for users.