- Avalanche9000 testnet launched, reducing costs and enabling permissionless L1s.
- The upgrade will lower validator and C-Chain fees, boosting accessibility.
- Avalanche has also launched a $40M grant program to incentivize the adoption and development of new Avalanche L1s.
Avalanche, the eighth-largest blockchain by total value locked (TVL), has taken a significant leap forward with the launch of its “Avalanche9000” upgrade on the testnet.
This upgrade, described as the largest in the blockchain’s history, aims to revolutionize app development, reduce transaction costs, and make validator operations more affordable.
Avalanche9000: a complete overhaul of Avalanche
The upgrade went live at 1 p.m. ET on Monday and marks a pivotal step toward its planned mainnet deployment by the end of 2025.
Avalanche9000 is not just a technical enhancement but a complete ecosystem overhaul designed to simplify blockchain development for builders and reduce costs for users.
Central to the upgrade are two transformative proposals: ACP-77 and ACP-125.
ACP-77 introduces a new framework for validators, enabling users to launch their own low-cost, permissionless subnets, now rebranded as “L1s.” This change broadens accessibility, allowing developers from decentralized exchange operators to blockchain creators to spin up their own chains.
ACP-125, on the other hand, significantly lowers the minimum fees on Avalanche’s primary C-Chain from 25 nAVAX to 1 nAVAX, equating to a 96% reduction. This move aligns Avalanche’s transaction costs with leading Ethereum layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum and Polygon.
Avalanche9000 also enhances its cross-chain capabilities with features like Interchain Messaging (ICM), paving the way for interconnected decentralized applications (dApps). Over 500 new L1s are already in various stages of development, ranging from gaming chains to small business solutions.
This transformative upgrade underscores Avalanche’s mission to lower barriers for blockchain adoption.
Luigi D’Onorio DeMeo, COO of Ava Labs, emphasized its groundbreaking nature: “Avalanche9000 enables a scale and flexibility previously impossible. By making validators permissionless and reducing costs, it redefines what’s achievable on our network.”
$40 million grant program
The Avalanche Foundation has coupled the Avalanche9000 upgrade with a robust $40 million grant program dubbed “Retro9000,” designed to incentivize network adoption and development.
Developers building on the testnet can register for grants, with retroactive rewards available upon mainnet deployment.
A $2 million referral fund within Retro9000 further encourages influencers, business developers, and key opinion leaders to drive adoption.
With Avalanche9000 live on the testnet and its mainnet launch set for 2025, Avalanche is firmly positioned to strengthen its standing in the competitive blockchain ecosystem, promising a more accessible and cost-effective future for developers and users alike.
