The Solana ecosystem accelerates the process of Decentralization, and validators face significant changes.

The Solana ecosystem is accelerating its reform pace in decentralized governance. Recently, a new policy was introduced aimed at optimizing the structure of validators and enhancing their independence. However, this policy could have a significant impact on a large number of small and medium-sized nodes.

Core Content of the New Policy

The new policy introduces a replacement mechanism of "one in, three out." Specifically, every time a new validator joins the Solana Foundation delegation program (SFDP), three existing validators will be removed. The removed validators must meet two conditions:

1. Have obtained the qualification for foundation commission for at least 18 months.
2. External staking from sources other than the foundation's委托 is less than 1000 SOL

This policy aims to encourage validators to enhance their competitiveness and reduce dependence on foundation resources.

Potential Impact Scope

Currently, about 835 validators accept foundation staking through SFDP, accounting for 62% of the total number of validators in the network. The total amount of SOL delegated by the foundation through this program is approximately 40.5 million, which accounts for 10% of the total staking in the network.

According to previous data, about 51% of validators have a staked amount of less than 1000 SOL obtained from external sources. If this proportion remains unchanged, approximately 686 validators could be affected by the new policy. These validators may face the risk of being forced to exit if they are unable to attract more external staking.

SFDP Plan Review

The SFDP program is an important mechanism for supporting the development of the validators network in the Solana ecosystem. The program provides support for validators in the following ways:

1. Staking matching: Match external staking obtained by validators at a 1:1 ratio, up to 100,000 SOL.
2. Remaining Delegation: Distribute the remaining funds evenly among eligible validators.
3. Voting Cost Assistance: Provide time-limited voting cost subsidies for newly joined validators.

Decentralization Challenges

The original intention of the new policy is to reduce validators' dependence on the foundation, enhancing their independence and community support. However, this could lead to some unintended consequences. If the removed validators are not promptly replaced by new, competitive validators, the total number of validators in the network may decrease, which could actually undermine the level of Decentralization.

As the market recognition of Solana increases, more and more large institutions are beginning to participate in the validation process of the Solana network. This trend may further raise the entry barriers for validators, putting greater pressure on small and medium-sized validators.

Future Outlook

For Solana, how to maintain the healthy development of the network and the diversity of validators while advancing Decentralization will be an important challenge. Lowering the threshold for validators and encouraging more participants to join the network may be the key to achieving true Decentralization.

In the context of an increasingly stringent regulatory environment, Solana needs to balance network security, performance, and Decentralization. Future policy adjustments and ecosystem development will directly impact Solana's competitiveness and position in the cryptocurrency space.