Solana Validators Slow to Adopt Frankendancer Due to MEV Efficiency Issues
Firedancer, a new validator software for Solana developed by Jump Crypto, is still in the works. Currently, validators can use a limited version called Frankendancer.
Key points include:
- Frankendancer emerged from modifications of the Agave client and was deployed on Solana mainnet in September.
- Only 12 validators, managing about 5.4 million staked SOL, are currently using Frankendancer out of 392 million staked SOL total.
- The primary barrier for validators adopting Frankendancer is its inefficiency in capturing Maximal Extractable Value (MEV).
- MEV accounts for approximately 25% of validator staking rewards, with most validators preferring the Jito-Solana client for better MEV capture.
- Phase Labs has upgraded to Frankendancer, highlighting it as a significant advancement for Solana.
- Over 93% of validators are still using Jito-Solana; however, there may be pressure to adopt Frankendancer on testnet soon, as discussions for a supermajority are underway.