• Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson announced the debut of Cardano Node 9.0.0.

  • Node 9.0.0 introduces on-chain governance via SIP 1694 and more.

  • Node 9.0.0 also puts Cardano closer to the Chang hardfork.

Charles Hoskinson, the brains behind Cardano, announced the release of Cardano Node 9.0.0 during a livestream from Colorado on Monday. This update sets the stage for the Conway Ledger era.

Node 9.0.0 brings key changes needed for this new era, including on-chain governance through SIP 1694, support for Plutus V1 reference scripts, and Plutus script signature support via SIP 69. It also includes Plutus version 3.0, preparing Cardano for its Chang hard fork by letting it enter the bootstrap phase of SIP 1694, essential for decentralized governance.

Node 9.0.0: Chang in a Box https://t.co/mQEkB0nuGu

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) July 8, 2024

Hoskinson explained that Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) will independently test the new node and decide when to upgrade. Once 70% or more of the SPOs upgrade, a hard fork date will be set, moving Cardano into the Chang era. This phase will feature the newly formed Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC) and newly elected DS (decentralized sovereign) members, who will eventually get full voting power after a 90-day transition period post-hard fork.

To solidify Cardano’s decentralized governance, the community will be involved in decision-making, including discussions on roadmaps and annual budgets. ICC members will also meet in Colorado to discuss how to fit into the broader governance framework. Hoskinson added:

“Everybody told us that building a decentralized government with people that you don’t know you’ve never met and you’ve never interacted with somehow can’t be as effective as a centralized one. But what we’ve done as an ecosystem is we’ve proven people wrong every single step of the way.”

In the third phase, the Cardano Constitution will be finalized at a convention in Argentina later this year, with delegates from around the world participating. The ICC will be re-elected under the new Constitution, while IOHK, the engineering team behind Cardano, will focus solely on development.

Hoskinson encouraged all Cardano projects to become delegated representatives. He concluded that Cardano is on track to become the most decentralized and effective governance model in the crypto space.

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