BSC's Fermi Hard Fork Slashes Block Times to 0.45 Seconds

In a significant development for the BNB Smart Chain (BSC), the Fermi hard fork is set to reduce block times from 0.75 seconds to a mere 0.45 seconds, enhancing both speed and efficiency. Scheduled for activation on January 14, 2026, at 02:30 UTC, this upgrade is supported by the v1.6.4 client release, according to the BNB Chain blog.

Fermi Hard Fork Objectives

The Fermi upgrade aims to make BSC faster and more reliable as network usage grows. By reducing block production times and strengthening finality at higher throughput, the network is expected to maintain its consistent performance under real-world conditions. This update follows previous upgrades such as Pascal and Maxwell, continuing the network's evolution towards more efficient block propagation.

Technical Enhancements

Key improvements include the introduction of new voting rules to support fast finality, which allows transactions to be confirmed with high confidence within fewer blocks. This is particularly crucial for high-frequency DeFi activities and applications requiring rapid on-chain settlements.

Developers and infrastructure providers are advised to note the faster block times, which could impact monitoring and application responsiveness. The upgrade does not necessitate any contract changes for compatibility but requires an adjustment in monitoring confirmation times.

Operational Considerations

Validators and node operators must upgrade to v1.6.4 or later before the scheduled activation. The upgrade process involves snapshot regeneration and log indexing, which may temporarily affect node performance. On BNB Chain’s reference hardware, snapshot regeneration is expected to take approximately five hours.

The new log indexing mechanism introduced in the v1.6.x series starts from block 59,484,738 and can consume significant CPU resources during startup. Operators can limit indexing to recent data to optimize performance.

Future Prospects

The Fermi hard fork is part of BNB Chain's broader focus on sustained execution quality, ensuring that speed improvements are accompanied by stability. This upgrade lays the groundwork for future enhancements planned for 2026, aligning with BNB Chain’s roadmap for more predictable performance and scalable infrastructure.