Anza, a blockchain infrastructure firm derived from Solana Labs, has proposed a significant new proof-of-stake consensus protocol named Alpenglow. This protocol aims to replace the existing TowerBFT and proof-of-history system, intending to bring speeds comparable to traditional internet infrastructure to the Solana network. Anza's team asserts that Alpenglow represents the most substantial alteration to Solana's core protocol in its history. The new system features two components: Votor, for processing voting transactions and block finalization, and Rotor, which focuses on data dissemination. This dual approach is designed to reduce the time required for network agreement, achieving finality in about 150 milliseconds. However, the white paper also clarifies that transitioning to Alpenglow will not address the network outages that have previously troubled Solana. Currently, Solana operates with a single production-ready client, Agave, which poses risks to network stability, although a new independent validator client called Firedancer is expected to roll out soon, providing more resilience to the network's infrastructure.

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