Zcash developers propose NU7 upgrade for November activation

Zcash developers have proposed block 3,543,405 as the activation point for the NU7 network upgrade, which is expected to occur around November 5. A primary feature of the upgrade is the reduction of block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, which could significantly accelerate transaction confirmation speeds.

The upgrade also introduces changes to transaction fees and privacy protocols. Notably, the NU7 upgrade will decommission Sprout, Zcash’s original privacy system. Funds remaining in the Sprout shielded pool at the time of activation will become unspendable under the new consensus rules. Users holding assets in Sprout are advised to move them to newer privacy systems, such as Sapling or Orchard, or to transparent addresses, before the upgrade takes effect.

While the proposed block height has received preliminary support, the change still requires final integration into the deployment specification and compatible node software. The upgrade also includes a mechanism that temporarily defers 60 percent of transaction fees collected in each block, with those funds scheduled to return to miners around February 2031.