Cardano outlines two-phase Dijkstra era upgrade schedule

Cardano has outlined a two-phase technical upgrade known as the Dijkstra era, aimed at increasing network throughput and settlement speed. The rollout is currently on schedule with no revisions to the planned scope.

Phase 1 is targeted for code completion by the end of 2026. This phase will introduce Ouroboros Linear Leios, which utilizes supplementary Endorser Blocks to increase transaction capacity without requiring larger blocks or faster slots. Other features include nested transactions, guard scripts, and account-address improvements.

Phase 2 is planned for the second quarter of 2027 and will focus on activating Ouroboros Peras. This stage aims to accelerate settlement through a stake-pool voting layer. Both phases require successful testnet deployments and on-chain governance approval before mainnet activation.

Additionally, development continues on Amaru, an open-source Cardano node implementation written in Rust. The project has achieved relay capability and aims to enable mainnet block production by November 2026 to enhance network resilience through increased node diversity.