BNB Chain Achieves Significant Performance Upgrade with Lorentz and Maxwell Hardforks

BNB Chain has reached a new milestone in blockchain performance by achieving 100 million gas per second throughput with 750ms block times, as reported by the BNB Chain team. These advancements were made possible through the implementation of the Lorentz and Maxwell hardforks, which have significantly enhanced the chain's speed and efficiency.

Upgrades Enhance Processing Speed and User Experience

The recent upgrades have revolutionized how BNB Chain functions, creating a more efficient environment for both users and developers. Prior to these upgrades, BNB Smart Chain (BSC) operated with a 3-second block time and a throughput of 47 million gas per second. Now, the block gas limit processes 75 million every 750 milliseconds, resulting in a throughput of 100 million gas per second. This change not only accelerates transaction confirmation times to under 2 seconds but also reduces latency and transaction fees, greatly improving the user experience.

Impact on Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Security

These improvements are particularly beneficial for DeFi applications, as they allow for higher throughput necessary for complex operations such as on-chain order books and gaming applications. The upgrades have also significantly reduced the risk of Miner Extractable Value (MEV) attacks, including sandwich attacks, by over 95% through faster block times and the coordination efforts of the Good Will Alliance.

Market Response and Future Ambitions

In response to these upgrades, BNB Chain has seen a resurgence in on-chain activity, with over $165 billion in swap transactions processed in the past six months. The chain has maintained high performance even during peak loads, handling a throughput of up to 1,467 million gas per second during intense traffic conditions.

Looking forward, BNB Chain aims to scale its throughput to 1 gigagas per second, which would represent a tenfold increase. This ambitious target aligns with the chain's strategy to support next-generation blockchain applications, including real-time confirmations and complex smart contract executions.

Technical Innovations Underpinning the Upgrades

The enhancements achieved through the Lorentz and Maxwell hardforks are underpinned by several technical innovations. These include the Path-Based Storage System, which optimizes data storage and propagation, and Consecutive Block Production, which minimizes idle time for validators. Additionally, improvements in validator synchronization and consensus have contributed to faster finality and enhanced network security.

These upgrades position BNB Chain as a robust platform capable of supporting the growing demands of the blockchain ecosystem, particularly in areas requiring high transaction volumes and low latency. As the chain continues to evolve, it remains focused on maintaining its performance and security standards to accommodate future growth and technological advancements.

For further details, visit the official BNB Chain blog.