What changes with the "Chang" hard fork?

Cardano is preparing for this year's most important upgrade: "Chang." The hard fork is intended to usher in the final phase of the project.

There is talk of a "game changer," the beginning of a new phase of development. The "Chang" upgrade scheduled for the second quarter heralds the latest "Voltaire" phase of Cardano. At the end of this phase, the network will be decentralized, with votes, decisions and ultimately the development of the ecosystem devolved to users. The upcoming hard fork will pave the way for this - which could also polish Cardano's recently tarnished image.

Cardano's latest moves

The final pieces of Cardano's roadmap are slowly coming together. With Chang, an important milestone is being ticked off. The upgrade includes key governance functions and allows users to play an increasing role in shaping the network.

Specifically, the implementation of the "Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP) 1694" - a reference to Voltaire's birth year, which serves as a metaphor for the final stage of development. Voting procedures are introduced for token holders. This allows users to submit and vote on proposals for project developments, for example.

Proposals then go through a multi-stage system of token holders, stake pool operators and delegated representatives. ADA reserves are created to fund projects. The exact processes are currently being simulated in the "SanchoNet" test net.

Hoskinson rejects criticism

It is not yet known exactly when the upgrade will be implemented. "Judging by the progress made with SanchoNet, soon to be," says Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson.

Chang is part of major reorganization measures currently underway. These include the introduction of an advanced consensus process called Ouroboros Leios. This is predicted to lead to a jump in scale: more transactions and faster processing.

And perhaps also: more media coverage. In the battle for new users, Solana has put a lot of pressure on Cardano in recent months. Cardano has also been repeatedly accused of lacking an ecosystem. Forbes recently placed the project on its list of 20 "good-for-nothing blockchains": projects that have foundered and fallen into oblivion.

Hoskinson apparently took it in stride: "When I see how everyone is pouring into Cardano, I have to smile a little," he said to Twitter follower X. "They have 'all assets, the best way for scalability, governance and innovation" and "the best community'. They have "all assets, the best way for scalability, governance and innovation" and also "the best community". However, the extent to which the community is interested in actively shaping the network will only become clear after the upgrade.