Cardano’s Voltaire Era Nears

Chang will be the initial hard fork in the final era of Cardano’s roadmap, introducing on-chain community consensus and community-run governance

Charles Hoskinson, the developer of the open-source blockchain platform Cardano, predicts a significant event in the Cardano ecosystem for June.

Hoskinson announced on X on June 9 that Cardano’s impending Chang fork is approaching rapidly, and Cardano Node will probably reach version 9.0 this month.

This implies that the Cardano blockchain is prepared for the hard fork and is currently awaiting the installation of the new node by 70% of stake pool operators (SPO).

“Subsequently, a hard fork may transpire, propelling Cardano into the Age of Voltaire,” Hoskinson observed, alluding to the most recent stage of Cardano’s development.

Voltaire Represents The Conclusion of Cardano’s Roadmap

The development phases of Cardano, which are also referred to as “eras,” are named after renowned personalities in the fields of computer science and poetry, such as Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Joseph Goguen, Matsuo Bashō, and Voltaire.

Decentralization, smart contracts, and a fundamental blockchain were implemented during the initial three stages. Scaling blockchain is the primary objective of the Basho era. The Cardano blockchain was enhanced by Voltaire, the final era, which introduced governance, voting, and treasury management functionality.

Chang will be the initial hard fork of the Voltaire era of Cardano’s roadmap. This era will introduce community-run governance by enabling on-chain community consensus and allowing Cardano ADA$0.44 holders to use their tokens to vote on proposals.

The upgrade is named in memory of Phil Chang, a pioneering figure in Cardano governance who passed away in 2022.

Hoskinson anticipates that Chang will facilitate a “decentralized civilization” for millions.
According to the Cardano co-founder, Chang is the “most significant milestone in the history of Cardano.” This milestone will assist the blockchain ecosystem in establishing a “decentralized civilization spanning the entire world with millions of residents.”

Hoskinson anticipated that Cardano would possess the “most advanced blockchain governance system,” annual budgets, a treasury, and valuable insights from the community with the introduction of Chang. Additionally, he stated:

“It’s been nearly 10 years for some of us on this remarkable journey. I can’t believe that in a single decade, we built a nation. I’m proud of all of you. Cardano gives me hope for our industry and the world. Let’s spend the next decade making a big dent in the universe.”

In 2024, the ADA cryptocurrency has experienced a substantial decline, and Cardano’s eagerly anticipated hard fork is expected to occur in response. According to CoinGecko data, the cryptocurrency has experienced a more than 26% decline since January 1, falling from approximately $0.60 to $0.44 at the time of writing.

ADA fell out of the top 10 coins by market capitalization in early April, giving way to the Telegram-linked cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON).