Sui is set to launch its new Mysticeti protocol on the Mainnet this summer, cutting consensus latency down to an impressive 390 milliseconds. Sui, a leading Layer 1 blockchain known for its high performance and unlimited horizontal scaling, has successfully deployed Mysticeti on its Testnet.
This breakthrough reduces consensus time by 80%, achieving a latency of 390 milliseconds while maintaining top-tier throughput. This development confirms Sui as the fastest consensus layer in the industry.
Mysticeti, built on extensive research into Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) consensus mechanisms, marks a significant improvement over the Narwhal-Bullshark algorithms used since Sui’s Mainnet launch last year. These advancements have led to unprecedented transaction speeds and lower CPU demands for validators, extending Sui’s low-latency performance across all transaction types.
Sui’s object-oriented architecture allows for varied transaction processing based on transaction and object characteristics. Transactions involving only “owned objects,” such as peer-to-peer transfers, bypass consensus and follow a faster execution path. Conversely, transactions involving shared objects, like those in marketplaces or collaborative games, require consensus, historically leading to higher latencies. Mysticeti optimizes this process by using an advanced BFT consensus that minimizes cross-validator communication and maximizes network bandwidth, maintaining high throughput.
“Mysticeti is a major leap forward for both Sui and blockchain technology,” said George Danezis, Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Mysten Labs, which developed the Sui Network. “It reduces consensus latency to its lower limits while retaining high capacity and low computational costs. This allows transaction processing faster than consensus within the same protocol, a unique feature of Sui. Mysticeti showcases how Sui continues to push the boundaries of blockchain technology.”
Testnet results have been remarkable, showing an 80% reduction in latency compared to Narwhal, allowing the Sui network to handle tens of thousands of transactions per second with sub-second latencies. This enhancement simplifies processes and optimizes resource use, further solidifying Sui’s position as a leader in blockchain speed and scalability.
“Mysticeti’s launch results from a successful collaboration between research, engineering, and our validator community,” said Dmitri Perelman, Head of Engineering at Mysten Labs. “The experience from previous consensus algorithms inspired the creation of Mysticeti. After seeing its performance, the engineering team fully supported its implementation. Validators are now helping roll out this next-gen consensus to the Mainnet within months.”
Kevin Nelson, Co-Founder of Aftermath Finance, added, “Mysticeti proves that a DAG-based structure can surpass state-of-the-art performance in both consensus throughput and latency. We at Aftermath are eager for its Mainnet release and look forward to utilizing Mysticeti’s design to enhance user experiences.”
Greg Siourounis, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation, emphasized, “Low latency and fast transaction speeds have always been key to Sui’s appeal for developers. With Mysticeti, the developer experience improves even further, opening new possibilities for decentralized applications on Sui.”
The innovations of Mysticeti are detailed in the newly published paper, “Mysticeti: Low-Latency DAG Consensus with Fast Commit Path,” which is available for review.
