Celestia's Ginger update to cut block time to 6 seconds

Celestia (CRYPTO:TIA), a modular data network, has announced the upcoming Ginger update, aimed at significantly enhancing network performance. 

Set for implementation in November 2024, the Ginger update will reduce block times from 12 seconds to 6 seconds, effectively doubling the network’s data accessibility. 

This improvement is expected to boost transaction volume and completion times, leading to a more efficient and responsive network. 

According to Celestia’s blog, the Ginger update introduces technical upgrades, including setting a 2 MiB limit on transaction size and capping the number of PayForBlobs (PFB) messages at 600 and non-PFB messages at 200 per block. 

The update will be activated at block 2348907, with the network transitioning to the Mocha testnet before full integration into the main network in December. 

This step is part of a broader strategy to enhance scalability, with the potential for increasing block size to 8 MB every 6 seconds in future updates. 

Additionally, the update will implement BBR (Bottleneck Bandwidth and Round-trip propagation time) congestion control as the default, improving efficiency in peer-to-peer data transmissions. 

The transaction validation process will also be accelerated, increasing the network’s overall capacity. 

The announcement of the Ginger update follows Celestia’s recent funding round, which raised $100 million. 

Optimism (CRYPTO:OP) surrounding the update has influenced the market, with the TIA token price increasing by 6% to $6.06, just below a resistance level of $6.5. 

Predictions indicate that the price could reach $10 as the network’s upgrades are fully realised. 

Celestia’s Ginger update is seen as a pivotal move to strengthen the network’s technical infrastructure and expand its appeal to developers and users. 

The update’s focus on reducing block times and enhancing transaction capabilities aligns with the network’s goals of scalability and efficiency, setting the stage for further growth and innovation.

At the time of reporting, the Celestia price was $6.04.