The second controlled hard fork completes the metamorphosis of Cardano to the age of Voltaire

The culmination of the Chang upgrade represents a transformative moment for Cardano’s governance, marking a pivotal shift that will have large-scale and lasting effects on the entire ecosystem. Throughout its journey, Cardano has embraced the butterfly as a symbol, a nod to the ‘butterfly effect’ — the idea that even small, seemingly insignificant actions can lead to vast, unforeseen consequences. Much like the delicate flutter of a butterfly's wings, the Chang upgrade sets changes that will ripple across the network, profoundly influencing its future trajectory.

A new era for Cardano's community

This article outlines the roadmap and timeline for when Cardano, now poised for a new era, will genuinely spread its wings. The network's future will be entrusted to its vibrant community of ada holders, who will play a decisive and integral role in shaping its decentralized governance and pushing its evolution to new heights.

In November 2024, the process to enact the Chang upgrade begins, ushering in a critical phase for Cardano’s governance evolution. While governance is in bootstrap mode, the decision to upgrade will be determined by Cardano’s stake pool operators(SPOs) reaching the required threshold and the Interim constitution committee(ICC) voting ‘yes’ accordingly. The ICC cannot vote ‘yes’ until 90 days after Chang #1, as set out in the interim constitution. 

DReps do not vote during the hard fork process; they only become part of governance after Chang #2 has been enacted.

Ecosystem readiness and voting period

Intersect, as facilitators, will summarize readiness through an ecosystem readiness page. Although it is unlikely, the ICC may vote independently of what the page shows.

The voting period for all participants ends at the same time, three epochs (15 days) after the ICC can vote ‘yes’. Your participation is crucial. Chang #2 requires five governance actions to be successfully enacted on chain. In this bootstrap phase of governance, the ICC and SPOs will be required to vote on these accordingly.

Intersect will raise the required governance actions, as per the recommendations provided by the parameters sub-committee for Plutus parameter updates and the civics committee for Chang #2, moving Cardano out of bootstrap into full governance.

Should the community ratify the hard fork, the upgrade will be enacted, bringing Cardano's final governance features as defined by CIP-1694.

What happens If the vote doesn't pass?

If the first epoch vote does not ratify the hard fork, the community will have additional opportunities to decide the upgrade’s next steps. Voting will remain active for six epochs, after which the governance action will expire, and the upgrade will be put on hold until new governance action(s) are raised.

Post-vote success: a smooth transition

If a successful vote favors ratification, the hard fork will be enacted five days later (one epoch), ensuring a smooth and measured transition. Following the hard fork, through the hard fork working group, Intersect will provide essential technical support to help guide the network and its participants through the changes. While this technical support is initially expected to be critical, we anticipate it will become optional after ten days as the ecosystem stabilizes and participants grow accustomed to the new governance framework.

The timing of governance actions is crucial to avoid the holiday season in major regions like the US, the UK, and Western Europe. This overlap could influence participation, engagement, and available support levels during the enactment period.

It’s important to note that this timeline hinges on the successful release and testing of Cardano node v10.

Roadmap and testing phases

The current roadmap anticipates a pre-release of Cardano node v10 for testing in mid-October. This crucial phase will initiate thorough testing across multiple environments, starting with the preview and preprod testnets. Each testnet will serve as an essential proving ground to ensure that the upgrade functions as expected under varying conditions before it is ultimately deployed on the mainnet.

Intersect’s role in facilitating the upgrade

Intersect’s role is to help coordinate and facilitate Cardano upgrades, which intrinsically involve our members and the broader Cardano community. We will provide regular updates on the upgrade's progress, including any developments or changes to the timeline. 

Bookmark our dedicated knowledge base area to keep abreast of progress and updates. Additionally, we will continue communicating through our standard channels—including the Intersect Discord HF and Announcements channels, Intersect X (formerly Twitter), and our weekly development report, ensuring that our community remains fully engaged and up to date.