Zcash has activated the NU7 upgrade on the test network, moving the planned protocol changes into the stage of real-world testing roughly a month ahead of the scheduled mainnet launch.
According to the Zcash testnet block explorer, ZecBlock, block 4,465,026 (the planned NU7 activation point) was mined on October 4 at 18:21:45 UTC. Zcash confirmed the activation in a post on X, stating that NU7 is live on the test network.
NU7 is the next upgrade of the Zcash network, aiming to reduce the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. The upgrade also disables version 4 transactions and integrates a network sustainability mechanism that redirects a portion of fees toward future block rewards.
Disabling version 4 transactions will also make ZEC held in Zcash’s legacy Sprout shielded pool unspendable unless users move their funds before NU7 is fully activated.
On Friday, the Zcash foundation said that test network operators should use the release candidate to test NU7 “under real-world conditions.” The test network testing phase allows developers to evaluate the upgrade before deciding on its activation on the main network.
Zcash developers plan to make the final decision on the mainnet launch and set the activation height on October 20, based on their experience with NU7 on the test network. The mainnet launch is scheduled for November 5.
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