Astar Network’s Shibuya testnet has rolled out a significant update, introducing asynchronous backing, one of the core technological advancements leading Polkadot toward its 2.0 upgrade. This update slashes block time from 12 seconds to just 6 seconds and increases the maximum block weight from 0.5 seconds to 2 seconds, allowing for a much higher volume of transactions within the same period. The upgrade is a boon for developers building decentralized applications (dApps) on Astar.
Shibuya, Astar Network’s parachain testnet with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) capabilities, closely mirrors the specifications of the Shiden and Astar mainnets. Its nearly identical environment provides an ideal testing ground for developers aiming to deploy dApps on the mainnet.
Astar Network, a Polkadot parachain, supports dApp development with both EVM and WebAssembly (WASM) smart contracts and facilitates cross-chain communication through cross-consensus messaging (XCM). This adaptability allows dApps to seamlessly interact with multiple blockchains, enhancing the network’s versatility.
One of the key advantages of asynchronous backing is the ability to reuse failed parachain blocks, which reduces resource waste and improves overall network efficiency. This advancement boosts Polkadot’s transaction capacity from 100,000 to a staggering one million transactions per second, a critical development for supporting high-traffic and complex dApps.
The update also increases blockspace production and transaction volume per block, delivering up to eight times the throughput while maintaining security. These improvements are set to transform Polkadot’s scalability, enabling it to handle greater transaction loads without compromising network integrity.
Despite the significant technical progress, the market reaction has been subdued, with Polkadot’s native token, DOT, rising just 1.16% to settle around $4.23 in the last 24 hours.
Polkadot recently published the Join-Accumulate Machine (JAM) Gray Paper, a new development blending elements from both Polkadot and Ethereum, further hinting at the network’s future growth and integration.
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