Shardeum Hits 171K+ Validators in Testnet – A Record for L1s

Shardeum, the autoscaling EVM-based Layer 1 blockchain, today announces that it has reached 171,000 total validators on its network – the highest number of physically run nodes ever recorded for a Layer 1 testnet. This milestone follows the recent conclusion of Shardeum’s testnet phase – beginning with its Alphanet “Liberty” and Betanet “Sphinx” and the most recent 4-stage Incentivized Testnet (ITN) “Atomium” – marking a crucial step toward mainnet launch.

During its testnet phase, the network processed over 81 million transactions, onboarded 1.2 million wallets, and engaged a globally distributed validator community that ran over 171,000 real, physically run nodes. The ITN phase alone saw over 52,000 physically run validators, contributing more than 60 million transactions, making it one of the top-performing ITNs in the Layer 1 ecosystem.

Shardeum’s CTO, Srini Parthasarathy, states, “Shardeum’s highly successful testnet proves that a high-performance, decentralized, and cost-efficient blockchain is possible. It is also a testament to community-driven ecosystems and the importance of decentralized and open-source participation. As we transition to Mainnet, our focus remains on delivering a scalable and sustainable blockchain infrastructure that is accessible to all.”

At a time when many L1s face centralization tradeoffs, Shardeum is showcasing what a truly permissionless validator network can look like without requiring any complex setup. Thanks to Shardeum’s lightweight validator requirements, the node setup process works with a single command, asking users a few basic questions before spinning up a fully synced validator in under a minute. This drastically lowers the technical and time barriers to participation – especially in emerging markets – while reinforcing network decentralization.

In addition to the recent launch of its ongoing token sale, Shardeum is set to begin a phased rollout of its mainnet in the coming weeks, facilitating its vision of delivering the blockchain community with a fully autoscaling blockchain network with dynamic state sharding, low gas fees, permissionless validator access, and a globally distributed community. Shardeum is building the infrastructure to support the mass adoption of Web3.

For more updates on Shardeum’s roadmap and current progress, visit https://shardeum.org/.