Cardano is gearing up for its next major network upgrade, the van Rossem hard fork, scheduled for activation next month. Founder Charles Hoskinson confirmed the timeline in a recent update, noting the community is progressing with the preparations. This intra-era hard fork, officially named after the late, renowned Cardano community member Max van Rossem, will implement Protocol Version 11.
The upgrade introduces targeted improvements without creating a new ledger era or splitting the chain. Key enhancements include the release of Plutus version 1.58.0.0, Cardano's native smart contract language, which expands built-in functionality. The hard fork also aims to improve Plutus performance, ledger consistency, and node-level security, all while maintaining existing transaction shapes.
Technical groundwork is already underway. Node version 10.6.2 was released this week, containing stability and networking improvements and foundational support for the upcoming fork. The SanchoNet testnet is already running Protocol Version 11 using this node. The target mainnet candidate, node version 10.7.0, is expected within the next two weeks for final testing on preview and preprod networks before the mainnet activation.
Hoskinson also highlighted other significant developments for Cardano's ecosystem. He pointed to the upcoming mainnet launch of the privacy-focused Midnight Network before the end of March, the recent integration of the LayerZero interoperability protocol, and the addition of Pyth oracles and the USDCx stablecoin as major milestones positioning Cardano for a "transformational year."
Beyond Cardano-specific updates, Hoskinson used his platform to criticize regulatory efforts like the CLARITY Act, which he argues aims to undermine decentralization by pushing for permissioned, federated systems over non-custodial wallets.
