Cardano Nears Decentralisation Goal With Node Upgrade, Enters Age of Voltaire

By Jody McDonald June 11, 2024 In Blockchain, Cardano

Charles Hoskinson announced via X that Cardano Node version 9.0 will release later this month, setting the stage for the network’s Chang hard fork, which will see it enter its ‘Age of Voltaire’.
Hoskinson described the Chang hard fork as the most significant milestone, not just in Cardano’s history, but in the history of the entire blockchain industry.
The Chang hard fork will introduce decentralised governance features, which will allow the community to play a larger role in the running of the network.

This is the dawning of the age of…Voltaire!

Charles Hoskinson, the founder of the Cardano blockchain, has taken to X to announce that version 9.0 of Cardano’s Node software will be released later this month. This update will set the stage for the blockchain to implement its Chang hard fork, which will see it enter its fifth ‘age’ — the Age of Voltaire — which is focussed primarily on decentralised governance enhancements.

Chang Hardfork The Most Significant Milestone In The History Of Cardano, Says Hoskinson

Cardano’s roadmap is broken into ‘ages’, each named after significant historical figures — so far we’ve had Byron, Shelley, Goguen, Basho and now, Voltaire. Each ‘age’ has a particular focus; for Voltaire that focus is governance. Voltaire was an 18th-century French writer and freedom of speech advocate.

Before the network can enter its new age though, at least 70% of Cardano staking pool operators (SPOs) will need to install the new 9.0 version of the Cardano Node software set for release later this month.

In his X post, Hoskinson claimed that the Chang hard fork, which marks the point the blockchain enters its Voltaire era, is “the most significant milestone in the history of Cardano and for the industry as a whole.”

Quite a claim.

According to Hoskinson, this isn’t just any old network upgrade, it’s the beginning of Cardano becoming a decentralised civilisation:

Cardano will be a decentralized civilization spanning the entire world with millions of residents.

Charles Hoskinson, Cardano founder

What Is The Chang Hard Fork Exactly?

Hoskinson’s post was typically grandiose, but you might be wondering, what changes does the Chang hard fork introduce? Well, it’ll introduce upgrades in two stages — named Chang Upgrade Number One and Chang Upgrade Number Two.

Chang Upgrade Number One introduces new governance features detailed in Cardano Improvement Proposal 1694 (CIP-1694) in a technical bootstrapping phase. These features will allow for decentralised voting, governance actions and other governance enhancements.
Chang Upgrade Number Two takes these upgrades out of the bootstrapping phase and introduces some additional features, such as delegated representative participation and treasury withdrawals.

According to Hoskinson’s X post, these upgrades will see Cardano have the most advanced governance system of any blockchain:

We’ll have the most advanced blockchain governance system, annual budgets, a treasury, and the wisdom of our entire community to guide us… I can’t believe that in a single decade, we built a nation.

Charles Hoskinson, Cardano founder