Cardano Activates Van Rossem Hard Fork, Lowers Smart Contract Costs
Quick Look
- Cardano activated its van Rossem hard fork, upgrading the mainnet to version 11.
- This update is expected to lower smart contract execution costs and prepares the network for the Ouroboros Leios scalability upgrade, anticipated in late 2026.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Cardano activated its van Rossem hard fork, upgrading the Cardano mainnet to version 11, which is expected to lower smart contract execution costs. This upgrade also lays the foundation for the Dijkstra era hard fork and the Ouroboros Leios scalability upgrade.
Cardano has activated its van Rossem hard fork as of Saturday, upgrading the Cardano mainnet to version 11, which is expected to lower smart contract execution costs and lay the groundwork for Ouroboros Leios, a major scalability upgrade for the protocol.
Onchain data from Cardanoscan shows the network moved from Protocol Version 10 in epoch 643 to Version 11 in epoch 644.
“As well as Plutus improvements and Plutus Cost Model enhancements, this upgrade lays the foundation for the next upgrade, the Dijkstra era hard fork, which will introduce Ouroboros Leios to Cardano,” Input Output wrote in a weekly development report on Friday.
Related: Cardano Foundation cancels annual conference after failed funding vote
Ouroboros Leios is a scaling proposal for the Ouroboros proof-of-stake consensus used by Cardano, expected to launch in late 2026. Its goal is to drastically increase transactions per second without weakening Ouroboros’ security guarantees.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Dijkstra era hard fork will introduce Ouroboros Leios to Cardano.
Very likely · Within months
Ouroboros Leios will launch in late 2026.
Likely · Within years
Open Questions
- What are the immediate effects on smart contract usage?
- How will Plutus improvements manifest in practice?
- What specific challenges remain for Ouroboros Leios development?
