- Polkadot introduces Asynchronous Backing, a major scaling update aimed at boosting parachain throughput, reducing block time, and elevating overall network efficiency and scalability.
- The update is now in development, set to be tested on Polkadot’s test network Rococo before potentially launching on Kusama & Polkadot pending community approval.
In a bid to substantially upscale its network performance, Polkadot has unveiled a major step in its scaling roadmap known as Asynchronous Backing. This initiative is expected to significantly enhance parachain throughput and natively boost the efficiency and scalability of the network, without compromising on the foundational trust assumptions and security protocols.
1/ Polkadot is proposing a major step in its scaling roadmap:
Asynchronous Backing
âš¡ It's a major boost to parachain throughput, and enhances efficiency & scalability natively – without sacrificing trust assumptions and security.
Dive in 👇 pic.twitter.com/MRM5m9Q5gP
— Polkadot (@Polkadot) September 28, 2023
Asynchronous Backing: A Catalyst for Enhanced Throughput
Asynchronous Backing optimizes Polkadot’s parachain consensus protocol in a trio of potent ways: by reducing the block time, increasing block space, and allowing for the ‘reuse’ of blocks that initially don’t find a place on the Relay Chain. This mechanism paves the way for a faster, more agile Polkadot network, making a pronounced impact on everyone involved, from parachain and dapp builders to end users.
The benefits of this update are manifold. By increasing the execution time and halving the parachain block time, a theoretical eight-fold improvement in parachain throughput is anticipated. Such an exponential increase in throughput is not only a testament to Polkadot’s ongoing efforts in overcoming scalability hurdles common in blockchain networks but also a monumental stride towards a more efficient and user-friendly blockchain ecosystem.
The development phase of this initiative is currently underway, with its next stop being Polkadot’s test network, Rococo. Following rigorous testing and contingent upon community approval, the asynchronous backing functionality will then be launched on Kusama and Polkadot, significantly augmenting the network’s operational dynamics.
Sophia Gold, the Engineering Lead at Parity Technologies, provided an in-depth overview of async backing at the Polkadot Developer Conference, #sub0, elucidating the boundless potential this update holds for the Polkadot network.
The roadmap towards integrating asynchronous backing functionality is on the horizon, and with it, Polkadot is poised to offer a far more robust and scalable blockchain network, underpinning a new era of blockchain technology optimized for real-world utility and broad-scale adoption.
