Nikolas Sargeant
PARIS, January 21, 2025 — Tezos has successfully activated its 17th protocol upgrade, Quebec, marking a significant leap forward in blockchain performance and sustainability. The upgrade, developed collaboratively by Nomadic Labs, Trilitech, and Functori, introduces crucial improvements that align with the Tezos X roadmap vision.
Performance Breakthroughs
The most notable advancement is the reduction in block time from 10 to 8 seconds, enabling transaction finality in just 16 seconds. This enhancement maintains Tezos' commitment to accessibility, as hardware requirements for validators remain unchanged, ensuring continued decentralization.
Enhanced Staking Economics
Quebec introduces refined staking mechanics designed to optimize network security while controlling inflation. Key improvements include:
- Increased external stake limits for bakers from 5x to 9x
- Enhanced staking rewards at 3x versus delegation (up from 2x)
- Refined Adaptive Issuance mechanism for controlled token inflation
"Quebec represents a significant milestone in Tezos' evolution," says Yann Régis-Gianas, Head of Engineering at Nomadic Labs. "We've achieved faster transaction speeds and stronger economics while preserving our decentralized nature. The community's engagement in discussing tokenomics and inflation control has been particularly valuable."
Strategic Timing
This upgrade coincides with expanding ecosystem developments, notably the recent launch of uranium.io on Etherlink, Tezos' EVM-compatible Layer 2 solution. This marketplace aims to democratize access to AI-focused real world assets, positioning Tezos at the forefront of the growing RWA tokenization trend.
