Zcash activates NU7 on public testnet ahead of schedule

Zcash's NU7 network upgrade activated on the project's public testnet at block 4,465,026, earlier than the October 6 timing developers had expected. The activation moves several proposed consensus changes into live testing before any decision on a mainnet rollout.

The headline change cuts Zcash's target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, shortening the expected time to a first confirmation. NU7 also introduces a Network Sustainability Mechanism that redirects part of transaction fees into future block rewards and removes support for older Sprout-format transactions. Zebra's first NU7 release candidate shipped on October 2 so testnet operators could prepare.

The early activation does not mean NU7 is live on mainnet. Developers scheduled an October 20 review of testnet results before setting a final mainnet activation, with November 5 currently serving as the planned date.