Charles Hoskinson revealed details of the Midnight sidechain launch

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson shared important information about the launch of the new Midnight sidechain, which he said will not compromise user privacy. Midnight will be a significant addition to the Cardano ecosystem and will run on a new consensus protocol called Jolteon.

The Jolteon Protocol and Its Capabilities

Hoskinson stated that the Jolteon protocol was designed to increase blockchain throughput and improve transaction speeds. This will allow Midnight to process up to 5,000 transactions per second (TPS), significantly improving network performance and making it more attractive to developers and users.

Testing and Deployment Phases

Before Midnight is approved for mainnet operation, the sidechain will undergo nine months of testing and refinement. Hoskinson promised that the developers will regularly update the public on Midnight's functionality and capabilities every three months. This will allow users to monitor progress and prepare for the launch.

Liquidity and NIGHT Tokens

The Midnight launch will begin with the provision of liquidity for NIGHT tokens on the already active Hilo stage. The Midnight Foundation plans to list the NIGHT token on several cryptocurrency exchanges, including OKX, MEXC, Gate.io, HTX, and Bybit. These platforms have confirmed that trading pairs for the NIGHT token will appear on their platforms on December 9 at 10:00 (UTC).

The following day, December 10, the foundation plans to begin distributing 4.5 billion tokens among airdrop participants. Users will receive 25% of their allocated tokens immediately, and the remaining 75% will be distributed in three additional stages.

Future Stages of Midnight Development

The next phase, called Kūkolu, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. This phase will prioritize privacy-focused decentralized applications (dApps), which developers will be able to launch on the mainnet. The Mōhalu and Hua phases are planned for Q2 and Q3 2026, respectively, and will launch a testnet with the ability to earn rewards for completing tasks, as well as support for hybrid decentralized applications.

Future Predictions

Hoskinson expects the number of Cardano blockchain users to exceed 10 million by 2030. This ambitious prediction underscores the Cardano team's commitment to expanding and improving its ecosystem, as well as attracting new users and developers.

In Conclusion

The launch of the Midnight sidechain represents a significant step for Cardano, potentially significantly improving the network's functionality and performance. Given Hoskinson's promises of transparency and regular updates, users can look forward to further news on the project's development.