Cardano Activates Protocol Version 11 Through Van Rossem Hard Fork

Cardano's decentralized blockchain platform has activated Protocol Version 11 through the Van Rossem hard fork, marking the first network upgrade fully approved by the community through onchain voting.

The upgrade brings faster and cheaper smart contracts to developers, giving them more powerful tools to build on the blockchain. This marks a significant milestone for Cardano's new governance system, which allows Delegated Representatives (DReps), Stake Pool Operators (SPOs), and the Constitutional Committee (CC) to vote on proposals.

The Van Rossem hard fork was recommended by Intersect's Hard Fork Working Group in June and approved by its Technical Steering Committee before receiving enough governance votes to move forward. The upgrade has successfully been enacted on Cardano Mainnet, with testing showing no performance regressions after the upgrade.