Summary
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Zcash network hashrate reached a record 32.62 GSol/s, marking a 5.8% monthly increase following the activation of its NU7 upgrade.
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The NU7 upgrade reduced Zcash block times to 25 seconds, expanded transaction capacity, and introduced changes to mining reward distribution.
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Zcash developers proposed reducing block times further to 20 seconds through NU7.1, while maintaining the cryptocurrency’s fixed 21 million supply.
Zcash mining activity has reached a record level, with the network hashrate climbing to 32.62 GSol/s following its latest protocol upgrade. The increase reflects growing computing power across the network as developers introduce changes to transaction processing and mining operations.
According to Zecstats data, Zcash’s total hashrate increased 5.8% over 30 days, reaching its highest recorded level. This milestone follows the activation of Network Upgrade 7 (NU7), which introduced faster block production and revised transaction limits.
Zcash activated NU7 on November 6, 2026, at block height 3,543,405, reducing target block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. Consequently, the network can produce blocks three times faster, supporting more frequent transaction confirmations across its blockchain.
Network hashrate measures the combined computational power miners contribute toward securing Zcash and processing transactions. Higher hashrate generally indicates greater mining participation and increases the computing resources required to attack the network. The latest figures place Zcash mining activity at record levels during a significant transition in the network’s operating structure.
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Zcash NU7 Upgrade Expands Transaction Capacity and Changes Mining Rewards
Beyond faster block production, NU7 introduced several technical adjustments designed to improve transaction capacity and reduce wallet synchronization demands.
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Under the revised rules, each block supports up to 330 Orchard or Ironwood actions and 300 Sapling inputs and outputs. Additionally, developers established a shared transaction budget of 330 actions across supported privacy pools.
These changes more than double Orchard protocol throughput while reducing potential synchronization pressure on lightweight wallets by approximately 37%. Significantly, the upgrade also retired the Sprout pool, preventing new Sprout JoinSplit transactions under the revised network rules.
Zcash maintained its maximum supply of 21 million ZEC despite introducing faster block production and adjustments to its halving schedule. Under NU7, mining reward halvings occur every 5,040,000 blocks instead of the previous 1,680,000 blocks. This adjustment preserves the cryptocurrency’s approximate four-year halving cycle despite the reduction in target block intervals.
Meanwhile, the upgrade directs 60% of aggregate transaction fees into a public reserve intended to support future mining rewards. Developers have also proposed another reduction in block times through a potential NU7.1 upgrade, targeting 20-second intervals instead of 25 seconds.
The proposed adjustment aims to reduce transaction confirmation delays and improve network responsiveness, although developers have not confirmed its activation. Zcash’s record hashrate marks a significant mining milestone as the network operates under its revised block production and transaction rules.
The proposed NU7.1 changes represent another potential adjustment to network performance, subject to further development and approval.
