MultiversX activates the Supernova hard fork on Sept 10, cutting EGLD block time from six seconds to 600 milliseconds, with roughly 84 percent of nodes migrated and a 24-minute transaction pause expected at activation.
Back
MultiversX Supernova to cut EGLD block time 10x Sept 10
A 10x speed-up arrives on the MultiversX network this week as the Supernova hard fork takes effect, compressing EGLD block production from six seconds to 600 milliseconds. Roughly 84 percent of the network's 5,171 nodes have already migrated to the new software, per a Sept 6 query of the public endpoint api.multiversx.com/nodes/versions.
The activation point sits at round 32,157,661 in epoch 2233, per the mainnet configuration published Aug 31. A query of the official MultiversX mainnet gateway on Sept 6 at 00:36 UTC showed current round 32,089,568, placing the switchover at approximately 18:06 UTC on Sept 10 — 113.5 hours from measurement. The network stops accepting new pool transactions for roughly 240 rounds, about 24 minutes at the current cadence, to clear in-flight transactions before the faster clock takes over.
For EGLD holders, the fork is not a migration event. MultiversX maintains backward compatibility for addresses, keys and balances, so self-custody holders have nothing to do. The three groups that need attention are exchange users, stakers and node operators.
Exchange and staking preconditions
Binance had posted no EGLD or Supernova notice as of Sept 6 at 00:40 UTC, based on a check of its announcement directories. Exchanges typically suspend deposits and withdrawals during network upgrades, with notices appearing one to three days before the date. Anyone planning to move EGLD off an exchange should do so before Sept 10 rather than on the day. The pattern echoes the Zilliqa hard fork on Sept 2, where ten exchanges moved balances to new addresses and deposits remained halted days later.
On staking, the most common misunderstanding around this upgrade is that a network producing blocks ten times faster releases staked balances faster. It does not. The unbonding period remains exactly ten days. The network configuration carries two values side by side: erd_unbond_period at 144,000 rounds and erd_unbond_period_supernova at 1,440,000 rounds. Both convert to 864,000 seconds — ten full days — because the round duration changes from six seconds to 0.6 seconds.
Node migration and smart contract risk
As of Sept 1, 95.35 percent of 5,171 nodes still ran the old v1.11.11.0 software, per CryptoSlate's analysis of public network data. By Sept 6 at 00:37 UTC, a fresh query of the public endpoint showed the picture had reversed, with roughly 84 percent of nodes on the new version. The required software is v2.0.5.0 or later; the chain currently reports v2.0.6.0 as the current marker in the erd_latest_tag_software_version field. Old and new binaries can coexist before the activation round, but outdated nodes after it produce deviating results and lose synchronization with the majority chain. A validator with the minimum stake of 2,500 EGLD that misses the date faces downtime and forgone rewards.
The upgrade also carries a subtle consequence for DeFi applications on MultiversX. Many smart contracts compute with second-level timestamps. At six-second block times, a timestamp identifies exactly one block. After Supernova, ten blocks fit into the same second. The project documentation warns that checks like "new timestamp must be greater than the last one" can fail, per-block action limits measured in seconds can be circumvented, and expiry deadlines can extend beyond intended.
EGLD traded at $4.61 on Sept 6 at 00:34 UTC per CoinGecko, roughly 3 percent below the previous day and about 27 percent above the level seven days earlier, at a market capitalization near $141.5 million. The price data is a snapshot, not a forecast — whether a technical upgrade translates into token performance cannot be stated in advance.
The fork is not a deadline for holders. Nothing expires on Sept 10. Anyone who does nothing keeps the same coins afterward. The date can shift by minutes to hours because activation hangs on rounds, not on the clock. The real check for anyone watching is the node version mix on the day before activation.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
