Solana’s geographic speed plan trusts validator locations the network cannot verify

Roger Wattenhofer and Quentin Kniep propose speeding Solana’s block production by scheduling nearby validators consecutively. Their plan relies on self-reported locations, bringing an unverifiable physical input into the order of block producers. Each scheduled turn at block production is called a leader window.The aim is to make fast handovers less dependent on operating near Solana’s biggest stake centers. The authors’ simulation cuts the mean handover delay between honest validators from 36.2 milliseconds to 17.0 milliseconds without giving any validator more leader windows. Reordering also changes the continuity of control: three-window groups can combine into longer consecutive stretches.Wattenhofer, Anza’s head of research and an ETH Zurich professor, coauthored the geographic schedule with Kniep, who identifies himself as a researcher at Anza and ETH Zurich. Their SIMD-0675 draft makes that tension explicit, recording six adversarial windows in succession under its proposed three-window setting.Both the scheduling proposal and its companion location-registration proposal were introduced as pull requests on Sept. 29. As of Oct. 7, they remain open. These are proposed rules an...