The Open Network Foundation (TON Foundation) has today announced that, during a successful live-streamed stress test, the TON blockchain has proven that it is the world’s fastest and most scalable public blockchain. The TON testnet was launched on 256 validators. Under heavy load, the testnet split into 512 shards, enabling the network to achieve a speed of 104,715 TPS. The unprecedented success of this test has proven TON capable of being the infrastructure layer for the Web3 ecosystem in Telegram and large enterprises seeking to create blockchain-based products, as well as a global decentralized network ready to usurp traditional finance rails.
In test runs, the TON testnet outpaced the reported speed of Visa while exceeding a speed of approximately 100,000 TPS, far surpassing the speed of approximately 65,000 TPS recorded by the previous record holder.
The data generated by this test has been verified by The Open Network’s security partner, CertiK, which is a Web3 smart contract auditor providing a comprehensive suite of tools to secure the industry at scale. CertiK has performed formal verifications of the TON blockchain to confirm its stability and security and has also assisted TON Foundation in verifying network speeds. TON Foundation used the infrastructure of Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing subsidiary of Alibaba Group, to deliver the live-streamed stress test.
The stress test involved multiple layers of verification and performance monitoring. CertiK authenticated the network's architecture, ensuring the 256 validators were operational and configured according to the specified settings. The nodes' software versions were also checked for uniformity. During the actual performance test, TON lite servers were employed to fetch transaction counts at one-minute intervals, which were then used to calculate the TPS.
TON’s unique architecture means that the blockchain is inherently scalable by design. TON takes the concept of sharding to its extreme, using an “infinite sharding paradigm” to form a blockchain of blockchains. TON is able to split into 2^30 workchains, each of which can then be subdivided into up to 2^60 shards. TON is designed so that rather than having the capacity constantly available, TON may rapidly scale capacity as and when demand requires it. This ensures that computational power is used as efficiently as possible.
A host of large enterprises have started to recognise the benefits of using TON as their infrastructure for Web3 services. In September 2023, TON Foundation announced a collaboration with Telegram and Tencent Cloud. These partnerships are the first of many, with TON set to play a key role in hastening the mass adoption of blockchain technology by individuals and industries alike.
“The most amazing thing is that, despite the record-breaking results, the speed reached is not the limit of what TON is capable of. With a sufficient number of validators, TON’s unique architecture allows the blockchain to scale almost infinitely and process millions of TPS from billions of users.” said Anatolii Makosov, Core Development Lead at TON Foundation. “We are pleased to show you in practice that, with only 256 cloud validators, the TON blockchain broke the world speed record.”
About TON Foundation:
The Open Network Foundation (TON Foundation) (https://ton.foundation) is a non-profit organization founded in Switzerland in 2023. TON Foundation is 100% funded by the community, acting in the community's interests, and supports initiatives aligned with The Open Network’s mission.
About The Open Network (TON):
The Open Network (TON) is putting crypto in every pocket. By building a Web3 ecosystem in Telegram Messenger, TON is giving billions the opportunity to own their digital identity, data, and assets.
