Solana Cuts Target Slot Time to 350ms

Overview

• Solana activated the 350ms slot target on Friday, August 21, 2026, marking the network’s first reduction from its original 400ms setting.
• The change is the first stage of SIMD-0525, a four-step plan that names 300ms as the next milestone and ultimately aims for 250ms then 200ms.
• Network monitors recorded average slot durations near 360ms soon after activation, showing a brief lag above the new 350ms target as validators adjusted.
• SIMD-0525 reduces per-slot resource limits as slots shorten so real‑time processing work does not automatically rise, for example cutting a 60 million compute‑unit baseline to about 52.5 million at 350ms and down toward 30 million at 200ms.
• The staged rollout is tied to the Agave v4.2 validator client and requires separate feature activations and validator testing, which will shorten epoch lengths and require nodes to update configuration and capacity ahead of faster slot settings.