This post is part of our roadmap series, diving deeper into the focus areas outlined in the o1Roadmap. Each post explores how each Engineering team at o1Labs is pushing Mina forward by covering what we’ve delivered (recent milestones), what we’re building (current initiatives in progress), and what’s next (future priorities).
The Performance Team at o1Labs was established with a clear mission: to enhance performance across two critical dimensions.
First, we focus on Mina's runtime performance, optimizing processes across the entire Mina/o1js stack. This includes areas like in-browser proof creation, block production, and node synchronization during startup.
Second, we prioritize development velocity for Mina. This encompasses how quickly we can implement changes, navigate our codebase, and manage technical debt. Moreover, we aim to ensure stability and quality in every release, enabling us to confidently and efficiently ship updates.
What We Delivered
In recent months, we achieved several key milestones:
- Upgraded the Arkworks library in Mina’s cryptography stack.
- Optimized heavy transaction processing, improving edge case performance by 20%.
- Reduced node memory usage by 1 GB, making nodes more efficient.
- Refactored our codebase to enhance development velocity and simplify future releases.
What We're Building
Our team is focused on three major initiatives:
- Regular Performance TestingWe are establishing processes to test Mina nodes under heavy transaction loads, mirroring the rigorous conditions of last year’s incentivized testnet. These tests will instill higher confidence in release quality and stability, while providing critical data to optimize slot times. By identifying bottlenecks under stress, we can make targeted improvements to further enhance Mina's efficiency.
- Reducing RAM UsageWe are significantly lowering memory requirements for full Mina nodes, especially block producers. Currently, nodes require 32 GB of RAM to handle peak loads. Our target is to reduce this to 16 GB and explore further reductions, making nodes more cost-effective and accessible.
- Removing Compile-Time ConfigurationsWe are simplifying Mina’s configuration by eliminating the need for compile-time setup. Currently, specific builds are required to connect to different networks (e.g., devnet or mainnet). Our work will allow a single build to connect to any network, greatly improving usability.This initiative is not only a user-facing improvement but also a critical refactoring of our codebase. By reducing configuration complexity, we aim to minimize potential bugs and ensure greater stability in future updates.
What’s next
Looking ahead, the Performance Team will focus on three key initiatives:
- Reducing Slot Time:Our primary goal in the coming months will be to reduce slot time to 90 seconds or less. This work will culminate in a Mina Improvement Proposal (MIP) to finalize the target value for a future hard fork. We aim to significantly lower slot time from current mainnet values, giving users and developers enhanced responsiveness and efficiency from the Mina network.
- Reducing Node Restart Time:We aim to drastically reduce the time required for a node to restart, come online, and fully participate in the network. Our target is to shrink this process from several minutes to just a few seconds, significantly improving user experience and node reliability.
- Designing Requirements for a New Networking Layer:In collaboration with other teams in the Mina ecosystem, we will begin defining the requirements for a new networking layer. This layer will address Mina’s growing scalability needs as slot times decrease and data exchange increases. Additionally, it will be designed to accommodate zkApp developers, ensuring they have a robust and efficient framework for building and deploying applications.
Conclusion: Looking Ahead
While we have outlined our current and planned projects, many more ideas are under consideration for the future. Our approach will prioritize research and experimentation, including draft specifications and prototypes. Based on these efforts, we will select and collaborate on features that best serve the community, aligning with Mina’s evolving needs.
Feedback from our earlier work, which will be released in the coming months, will play a critical role in shaping our roadmap. By continuously refining our priorities, we aim to deliver meaningful improvements that enhance the Mina ecosystem for everyone.
We are incredibly excited about the work ahead and the product we are building. Mina already has a strong foundation, and our team is committed to leveraging this to address key bottlenecks, unlocking the blockchain’s full potential—a potential far beyond what is possible today. While what Mina offers now is already remarkable, we believe the best is yet to come.