Solana Alpenglow Goes Live in ‘Most Ambitious’ Upgrade Since Ethereum’s Merge

Solana has activated its Alpenglow consensus upgrade on the live mainnet, retiring the TowerBFT protocol that had run the network since its 2020 launch. The change is being framed as the most ambitious overhaul since Ethereum's Merge, replacing core consensus mechanics rather than a routine parameter tweak. Traders would care because consensus-level changes can affect throughput, finality times and perceived reliability of the chain, which feed directly into SOL's valuation and its competitive position against other layer-1 networks.