- Hoskinson says Leios can boost Cardano throughput 30–65x in 18 months without changing UTXO.
- Whale wallets sold 30 million ADA this week, pushing Cardano price from $0.92 down to $0.82.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has presented a new performance upgrade called Leios, aimed at boosting the network’s throughput by 30 to 65 times. Speaking in an AMA on August 31, Hoskinson said the first stage of Leios could be ready within 12 to 18 months.
He explained that the design reduces complexity compared to earlier research models, allowing development teams to release the upgrade in steps. “The throughput increases if Leios is implemented 30 to 65x,” Hoskinson noted, adding that the shorter delivery window makes the plan more practical than a full-scale redesign.
Surprise AMA 8/31/2025 https://t.co/epUwS1ATcT
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) August 31, 2025
No Overhaul to Core Protocol
Leios is not a full replacement of the protocol. It complements existing protocols like Ouroboros Praos and can safely fallback if necessary. The new mode is also planned to integrate with other tools and enhancements in the pipeline, such as Hydra, Paris, and Chronos.
According to Hoskinson, the existing UTXO model remains unchanged.
“What’s nice is we didn’t have to change UTXO,” he said. “Transaction determinism is preserved.”
He also pointed out that the system can run on four-core hardware, which means it stays accessible to users with lower-spec machines.
While transaction times may temporarily increase to 40–60 seconds, the design allows for improvements through other parts of the network. The plan is to improve performance without disrupting developers or requiring new infrastructure.
The Input Output team is adopting a 24/7 global workflow to meet the tight timeline. Work is now structured around time zones with handovers between regions. Hoskinson said this supports faster progress while maintaining quality with the help of AI-supported systems.
He stated the proposal is open for review and will be shared with other Cardano development teams. TXPipe and Blink Labs, among other groups, are expected to review the details before it is included in the official roadmap.
Whale Selling Adds Pressure as Price Falls
In parallel, whale wallets that possess between 1 million and 10 million ADA have also decreased their holdings. As per Ali Martinez’s data, those ADA wallets have sold approximately 30 million ADA in the last week.
30 million Cardano $ADA sold by whales in the past week! pic.twitter.com/HkhkZyG019
— Ali (@ali_charts) September 1, 2025
The decrease in ADA holdings corresponded with a decrease in ADA’s price. Cardano has plummeted in price from $0.92, dropping to $0.84 in the same timeframe. This decrease in ADA price may be accounted for by a reduction in ADA selloff.
At the time of writing, ADA’s price is $0.82 with a 24-hour trading volume of $1.72 billion. The cryptocurrency has appreciated by 2% in the last day, but it has a 3% depreciation in the last 7 days.
