Cardano hands core software over to outside developers to achieve full decentralization

The move marks a major transition for the blockchain as independent engineering groups prepare to maintain the underlying software code through 2027.

Cardano hands core software over to outside developers to achieve full decentralization

Tech

Cardano hands core development to outside teams in decentralization push

Input Output will transfer control of the Haskell node, Plutus, Hydra and other components as founder Charles Hoskinson says the network must change and start growing again.

By

Olivier Acuna

|

Edited by

Oliver Knight

Jul 17, 2026, 4:23 p.m.

2

min read

Make

preferred on

Share

Share this article

Copy link

X icon

X (Twitter)

LinkedIn

Facebook

Email

Make

preferred on

Charles Hoskinson said the last stage of the Voltaire era is full decentralization of node and reference blueprint development. (CoinDesk)

Summary

Show

Cardano developer Input Output will begin handing control of key blockchain components, including its Haskell node, Plutus platform and Daedalus wallet, to external specialist teams starting in August as part of a multi-year decentralization push.

Independent companies such as Se7en Labs and Teragone will assume responsibility for parts of the core infrastructure, while at least three Cardano implementations in Haskell, Rust and Go will be maintained under community oversight and formal specifications.

The shift comes as Cardano grapples with weak network activity and a steep drop in its ADA token price, with founder Charles Hoskinson framing the restructuring and broader ecosystem setbacks as necessary “growing pains” on the path to full decentralization.

Cardano developer Input Output is handing control of core blockchain infrastructure to outside teams, reducing the network’s dependence on the company that built it, Input Output announced Friday.

Input Output said the handover is the next phase of Cardano’s decentralization. It covers Cardano’s Haskell node, Plutus smart-contract platform, Daedalus wallet, Hydra scaling technology and developer relations.

Specialist companies include Se7en Labs, a development agency specializing in Solana blockchain infrastructure, and Teragone, a specialist software development and cryptographic research team that leads the development of Mithril, a stake-based signature protocol for the Cardano blockchain. Both will take responsibility for some of the components. The handover will begin in August and continue into 2027.

Cardano has already moved protocol decisions and governance to its community. Input Output said the next step is to spread responsibility for developing and maintaining the software.

“The last stage of the Voltaire era is full decentralization of node and reference blueprint development,” Input Output CEO and Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said in the statement.

The plan calls for independent teams to maintain at least three Cardano implementations written in Haskell, Rust and Go. Member organizations including Intersect and Pragma will oversee formal specifications, with development subject to community review and voting.

Input Output will focus more of its work on research and new ventures through IO Labs and IO Ventures.

The announcement comes as Cardano faces weak network activity, with just

$70 million in TVL

compared to rival chains like Tron and Solana that boast more than $4 billion respectively. There has also been a sharp decline in the value of its native token. ADA was

trading at about 16 cents Friday

, almost 95% below its September 2021 record of $3.10.

Hoskinson

recently acknowledged

the problems facing the network and said further setbacks would be part of its development. The Cardano founder

said he had warned earlier this year

that the deteriorating market conditions would see many projects shuttering.

“Even Cardano has to go through growing pains that are very uncomfortable,” he said in a video. “Bones have to be broken. Growth spurts have to happen. Exits and entrances. Failures have to occur to build confidence in the system.”

Hoskinson said Cardano needs more specialized teams to set targets and direct resources. He also acknowledged that the network has stopped expanding.

Moving core development to several companies could reduce Cardano’s reliance on Input Output, the statement on Friday said. It will also test whether independent teams can maintain the software without slowing development or creating coordination problems.

“I’m extremely proud that we have arrived at the final stage with IO Labs spinning out the Haskell node to community curation and control,” Hoskinson said. “Our partners are ready and the ecosystem now has many diverse options.”

Cardano

Latest Crypto News

1

Polymarket traders cut Clarity Act passage odds to record low as Senate delay drags on

1 hour ago

2

Stripe and Swift race to control the next generation of global payments infrastructure

1 hour ago

3

Inside Robinhood’s high-stakes bet to onboard 10 million casual users onto decentralized finance

3 hours ago

4

Japan's SBI Group is building Asia's first cross-border digital asset empire

5 hours ago

5

Bitcoin faces fresh headwinds as China’s Kimi beats Claude, GPT in coding benchmark

6 hours ago

6

AI frenzy losing steam leaves bitcoin less volatile than South Korean stocks

7 hours ago

7

Live markets: Bitcoin returns to $63,000 as Nasdaq trims large early loss

8 hours ago

8

Risk-off wave drags bitcoin below $63,000 as AI selloff spreads from stocks to crypto

8 hours ago

9

Airbnb CEO says X account was hacked, attacker posted AI-slop on tokenization

10 hours ago

10

Ether falls twice as hard as bitcoin and HYPE drops 10% as the chip trade unwinds

11 hours ago

Latest Research

Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months

Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months

CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B.

By

CoinDesk Research

Jul 13, 2026

CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B.

Why it matters

:

CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B.

View Full Report

More From

Tech

DOG Mode vs. BIP-110: Inside the Bitcoin client built to bypass data restrictions

Ledger wants AI agents to manage crypto without holding your keys

Galaxy targets institutional stablecoin yield with new DeFi vaults

Crypto

CD20

$1,737.87

CD20 down 0.82 percent

0.82%

BTC

$64,025.96

BTC down 0.31 percent

0.31%

ETH

$1,839.87

ETH down 1.85 percent

1.85%

XRP

$1.09

XRP down 0.73 percent

0.73%

SOL

$75.03

SOL down 0.97 percent

0.97%