Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade has reached its second public test network, advancing the protocol toward a targeted 150-millisecond settlement time. The overhaul changes validator consensus by enabling direct vote exchanges instead of recording votes as on-chain transactions, allowing agreement within one or two voting rounds. This architectural shift means reported transaction totals will decrease even if user activity remains constant, prompting the Solana Foundation to advise data providers to adjust their metrics accordingly. Infrastructure services must also adapt by keeping competing candidate blocks separate until finalization to prevent incorrect records, though standard applications and wallets require no migration. The 150-millisecond benchmark remains a simulation-derived target rather than a live-market result, with actual speeds dependent on wallet processing and exchange deposit checks. No firm mainnet launch date has been announced; while Anza’s software schedule tentatively allows feature activations to resume Sept. 28, this is not confirmed as the Alpenglow deployment date.