According to Woofun AI, Valard Dragon (Dev Ojha), the core developers of ZEC's full-node “Zakura”, and Evan Forbes proposed an aggressive proposal on the 9th to reduce the block generation interval from 25 seconds to 20 seconds.
This move followed the upgrade of the main network “NU7” on the 6th Japan time. At that time, the interval was drastically reduced from 75 seconds to 25 seconds through the ZIP 218 protocol. Although this proposal is in the draft stage, it clearly points to the next community vote and implementation path for the “NU7.1” minor upgrade.
According to data compiled by Woofun AI, the two developers were the original proponents of the previous ZIP 218 solution. They emphasized that 25 seconds was only a transition goal, and 20 seconds was the key point for improving scalability. Currently, the node team is optimizing performance, and the implementation of “NU7.1” is imminent. At this time, promotion can maximize the use of existing analysis results. The core pain point is that even if the block content is almost empty, transactions still have to wait to be packaged, which seriously reduces the efficiency of offline payments, exchange recharges, and cross-chain exchanges similar to NEAR Intents. By shortening the interval, ZEC aims to enhance its immediate convenience as “cash” and reduce user waiting time.
In response to potential risks, the developers pointed out that the main challenge is that the isolation rate may increase, but the latest test results confirm that the scheme still meets established safety standards. Furthermore, despite the acceleration of block generation, by scaling block subsidies by 4/5 and extending the halving interval from 5.04 million to 6.3 million yuan, you can ensure that the daily issuance of new coins remains constant (the number of daily blocks issued increases from 3,456 to 4,320), thereby increasing throughput while maintaining a stable economic model. Following NU7, this is another refinement of the underlying architecture of the ZEC ecosystem to pursue the ultimate transaction experience, marking the continued deepening of its transformation from a private currency to an efficient payment tool.