Zcash NU7 upgrade set for November 5 will reduce block times from 75 to 25 seconds and sunset the Sprout privacy system.
Tech & Launches ·
Zcash developers have designated block 3,543,405 for NU7 activation, projected for around November 5. The upgrade will accelerate block confirmation by reducing block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. Additionally, the protocol change will temporarily sequester 60% of each block's transaction fees, with miner payments resuming approximately February 2031, while maintaining the existing mining reward halving timeline.
The upgrade will deactivate Sprout, Zcash's original privacy system entirely. Any funds remaining in Sprout addresses at activation will become unspendable. As of late October, the activation-height proposal had not yet been integrated into the formal deployment specification, and node software must be updated to include the chosen block height before the upgrade takes effect.
Several implementation steps remain outstanding: the proposal must be merged into the deployment specification and incorporated into client software across the network. The November 5 timeline assumes these preparatory steps proceed on schedule, though no guarantee has been stated.