Anza researchers Quentin Kniep and Roger Wattenhofer have proposed SIMD-0675 for Solana, a system that would group validators by geographic proximity in the block production schedule. Simulations based on real mainnet data (epoch 1038, 661 validators) showed a 53% reduction in handover delays, dropping from 36.2 milliseconds to 17 milliseconds. The researchers also published SIMD-0674 describing the on-chain geographic location registration mechanism. Stake weights and slot allocations remain unchanged for each validator. Validators refusing to register their location will be excluded from block production and voting. This proposal gains importance in the context of Alpenglow, Solana’s upcoming consensus protocol targeting finality of approximately 150 milliseconds.
Source: Read the original article
