Jump Crypto Plans New Solana Validator Client to Boost Performance, Decentralization

In an effort to improve the decentralization and performance of the Solana network, Web3 infrastructure developer and investor Jump Crypto has partnered with the non-profit Solana Foundation to create a new, additional validator client for the blockchain platform.

Jump Crypto will lead development of a new open-source validator client called Firedancer, which will be based on the C++ programming language. It is intended to coexist alongside Solana Labs’ existing validator client, which is based on the Rust programming language. Solana Labs includes Solana’s founders and core developers.

In a press release and additional information provided to Decrypt, Jump Crypto suggested several ways in which the second consensus node implementation and validator client can help improve the efficiency and stability of Solana, an increasingly popular network used for DeFi protocols, NFTs, decentralized apps (dapps), and games.

For example, once deployed, Firedancer may help avoid a supermajority of the validator stake being held by Solana Labs’ single client, and could also help with network stability should either validator client encounter future issues.

Jump Crypto suggests that it will also bring its experience in building networks to Solana as it scales to potentially larger audiences in the years to come.

The firm said that it will “propose significant upgrades to Solana’s open-source core software,” according to the press release, but declined to elaborate specifically when asked by Decrypt.

“Right now, Solana’s throughput isn’t limited by hardware, but by software inefficiencies,” a Jump Crypto representative told Decrypt. “We will bring Jump’s performance engineering mindset to Solana’s scaling challenges.”

Jump Crypto aims to “make significant progress on Firedancer over the next 12-24 months,” the representative added and noted that all open-source development will take place in the public sphere with input welcomed.

Kevin Bowers, Jump Trading’s chief science officer, will lead the project for the firm.

“By adding more core contributors like Jump Crypto, the network can maintain its status as the best place to build in Web3, while scaling to billions of users,” said Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, in a release. “I’m excited for Jump’s engineers to bring a new perspective to the network and help improve network resiliency and efficiency.”

Jump Crypto has been a major backer of the Solana ecosystem, including order book Serum, popular wallet Phantom, and native oracle Pyth. It also backed the Ethereum-to-Solana bridge Wormhole, and bailed it out too—Jump Crypto replenished $320 million worth of ETH in February after Wormhole was hacked.