Cardano Dijkstra Upgrade Outlines Leios Rollout With 10–15x Throughput Target

Cardano's upcoming Dijkstra era will introduce a major protocol upgrade designed to expand transaction processing capacity and add new capabilities across the network. Carlos Lopez-Zelada, Leios product manager at Input Output, has outlined the deployment process, including the conditions required before the scaling technology can operate on mainnet.

The transition to protocol version 12 will introduce Linear Leios alongside changes to smart contracts, transaction handling, and staking economics. Input Output's rollout plan targets an initial twofold to fivefold increase in throughput, followed by additional adjustments intended to reach approximately 10–15 times the network's existing capacity.

Those improvements will not arrive through a single activation. Dijkstra requires constitutional changes, governance approval, and participation from stake pool operators before Leios can begin processing additional transaction blocks.

Dijkstra Combines Leios With Major Ledger and Staking Changes

Dijkstra brings together multiple protocol improvements that require changes to Cardano's consensus rules, ledger structures, or transaction formats. Rather than introducing each feature through a separate hard fork, the upgrade incorporates them into a coordinated transition to protocol version 12.

Linear Leios is the centerpiece of the release. The technology is designed to increase Cardano's transaction processing capacity while preserving the security guarantees of its underlying consensus protocol.

The broader upgrade also includes Nested Transactions, which introduce additional flexibility in transaction construction and fee handling. Account address enhancements expand how transactions interact with accounts, while Guard Scripts provide developers with new authorization mechanisms.

Plutus V4 adds capabilities to Cardano's smart contract environment, while changes to reference-script pricing and limits will allow previously fixed parameters to be adjusted through governance.

Dijkstra also introduces changes associated with two staking proposals.

CIP-23 establishes a minimum pool margin parameter intended to support a revised approach to stake pool fees. Its full activation depends on implementation and governance readiness.

CIP-50 introduces a pledge leverage parameter that can change how operator pledge influences staking rewards. Its initial configuration preserves the existing reward calculation until governance approves a different setting.

The upgrade additionally includes technical groundwork for Ouroboros Peras, a separate consensus enhancement intended to accelerate transaction settlement. Its activation is planned for a subsequent protocol upgrade within the Dijkstra era.

Leios Introduces Parallel Transaction Processing and BLS Certification

Linear Leios changes how Cardano can process additional transactions without relying exclusively on conventional block production.

The existing consensus system uses Ranking Blocks produced by stake pool operators. Leios adds Endorser Blocks, allowing additional transaction data to move through the network alongside the main blockchain.

When an Endorser Block is produced, participating operators retrieve any missing transaction information and verify its contents. Valid blocks can then receive cryptographic endorsements from other operators.

These endorsements use BLS signatures, which can be aggregated into a single verifiable certificate. Once the required certification threshold is met, the certificate can be incorporated into a subsequent Ranking Block.

This mechanism allows more transactions to be processed while maintaining a defined validation and certification process.

However, activating Leios requires additional preparation from Cardano's stake pool operators.

Operators must register new BLS keys through updated pool registration certificates. According to Lopez-Zelada, the certification committee must represent at least 75% of active stake before Leios can become operational.

Input Output is aiming for broader participation, ideally covering approximately 90–95% of active stake.

The requirement creates a distinction between entering the Dijkstra era and activating the additional processing capacity. Even after the hard fork, Leios depends on sufficient operator participation and the necessary cryptographic registrations.

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Cardano Plans Conservative Activation Before Expanding Throughput

Dijkstra's rollout begins with amendments to the Cardano Constitution covering 16 new adjustable protocol parameters.

Ten are associated with Leios, four concern reference-script pricing and limits, and two relate to staking economics. The amendments will establish governance classifications and restrictions governing future parameter changes.

Some restrictions can be enforced automatically through governance scripts, while others require oversight by the Constitutional Committee.

Once the constitutional requirements are addressed, the hard fork initiation action must pass Cardano's governance process. The transition to protocol version 12 will then enable the next operational stage, including BLS key registration and the formation of the Leios certification committee.

Input Output intends to activate Leios with conservative parameters, initially targeting throughput approximately two to five times higher than the existing network configuration.

The development team then plans to introduce controlled transaction loads on mainnet, monitoring how the protocol performs under real network conditions.

Particular attention will be given to block propagation, certification behavior, transaction validation, and the effects of network topology and stake distribution. These characteristics cannot be fully reproduced in smaller test environments.

After evaluating the results, governance proposals may adjust parameters such as Endorser Block size, certification thresholds, and committee configuration.

Further observation periods would follow those adjustments before additional capacity increases are introduced.

The stated initial scaling objective is approximately 10–15 times Cardano's current throughput. Lopez-Zelada also discussed the potential for greater increases, but emphasized that subsequent changes should depend on actual network demand and the infrastructure requirements imposed on operators.

The development plan therefore separates the introduction of Linear Leios from the progressive expansion of its processing capacity.

Before the first throughput increase can take effect, Dijkstra must receive the necessary governance approval, compatible nodes must be deployed, and operators representing at least 75% of active stake must complete the BLS registration process required for Leios certification.