Solana recorded 169.9 million non-vote transactions on Aug. 4, according to Blockworks data, marking the highest single-day total ever seen on the network. Because non-vote transactions exclude the messages validators exchange to finalize blocks, the figure is used to track actual user and application activity rather than consensus traffic.

The new peak arrived less than a week after Solana activated SIMD-0286, an upgrade that raised the maximum compute limit per block from 60 million to 100 million compute units. That change expanded per-block capacity by 66% while block times remained at 400 milliseconds.

A record set six days after the upgrade

Solana switched on SIMD-0286 on July 29 at the start of a new epoch, the network’s roughly two-day validator rotation cycle. The change represented what the source article described as the largest throughput expansion Solana has introduced since launch.

Compute units measure the processing work that can fit into a block, so lifting the cap allows more transaction load to be handled in each 400-millisecond block. The article said the upgrade was made possible after XDP kernel-bypass networking cleared 70% of staked SOL, allowing the network to increase capacity without slowing block production.

Earlier limits were already under pressure

The previous 60 million compute-unit ceiling was not theoretical spare room. Data cited from the Solana Foundation showed that 11.2% of blocks were reaching 56 million compute units or more under the old limit, indicating that real demand was frequently nearing the cap.

The article noted that this pressure became especially relevant during volatile trading periods, when users most need transactions to land quickly. In that framing, the network was already seeing traffic squeezed by limited blockspace before the July 29 increase.

Trading systems remain a major source of activity

According to the source article, much of Solana’s transaction flow comes from trading infrastructure. Blockworks Research estimated that proprietary AMMs run by market makers accounted for about 20% of all Solana transactions as of late 2025, with arbitrage and order-book maintenance adding further load.

This kind of activity tends to expand to use available blockspace on a chain with 400-millisecond blocks and sub-cent fees. The article argued that the same traffic that consumes capacity also supports tighter spreads for other market participants.

Payments activity appeared alongside the milestone

The record day also coincided with the launch of Western Union’s Stablecard on Solana through Rain on Aug. 4. The product covers 37 markets and runs on the USDPT stablecoin, according to the article.

Even so, the article said USDPT circulation remained near 7.4 million tokens, a level it described as too small to be materially driving transaction counts yet. The point, instead, was that the network now has more room available if that type of payments flow grows.

More throughput, but weaker fee generation

The article paired the transaction record with a less favorable revenue picture. Solana’s network fees totaled $51 million in the second quarter, its weakest quarter since Q3 2023, while decentralized exchange volumes were at their lowest level since September 2024.

That leaves a gap between record transaction throughput and the amount of revenue attached to that activity. The article attributed part of that shift to a changing mix: memecoin trading had produced higher fees per transaction, while market-maker requoting and stablecoin payments do not. The next confirmed items mentioned were Alpenglow and a move toward 200-millisecond slots, as Solana continues preparing for throughput beyond current levels.

Source: Cryptopolitan