The start of Cardano's Voltaire era is imminent

Cardano is one step closer to its goal of full decentralization. Founder Charles Hoskinson announced the launch of Cardano Node version 9.0 at X in June. This means the Chang hard fork is also ready, as Hoskinson explained.

Chang ushers in Cardano's final "Voltaire" phase, according to Hoskinson the "most important milestone in Cardano's history." At the end of this phase, the network will be decentralized across the board, ultimately handing over the development of the ecosystem to users.

The two-phase upgrade will unlock key governance features. This will allow users to increasingly participate in shaping the network.

A central part of the upgrade is the "Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP) 1694," which introduces voting procedures for token holders.

Once 70 percent of staking operators (SPOs) install the new node version, the network can initiate the hard fork - and eventually Voltaire - according to Hoskinson. Cardano will then have the "most advanced blockchain governance system" in the industry, Hoskinson said.

The latest era of the roadmap for Cardano begins at a time when its founder is coming under increasing fire for his polarizing statements.

With Voltaire, the community would have full decision-making power in Cardano's "decentralized civilization." In this, Hosknison would be just one of many millions of users.