Zcash Developer Proposes NU8 Upgrade for Late January Next Year, Block Size to Increase to 8MB

November 10 — Zcash core developer ValarDragon posted a proposal to implement the NU8 network upgrade at the end of January 2027. The proposal includes several technical improvements: launching the Tachyon shielded pool; raising the maximum block size from 2MB to 8MB; adding SPHINCs-based post-quantum transparent opcodes; moving the NSM reallocation date in the protocol to around Zcash's seventh halving; finalizing the date when Sapling stops accepting deposits; and removing the "consensus branch ID" update that causes wallets to break frequently.

ValarDragon said that combining Tachyon with larger blocks could enable 200 shielded transactions per second. Tachyon will provide unconditional post-quantum privacy, while the post-quantum transparent opcodes provide a real-time solution for related recovery.