Hello everyone, welcome to view the Polkadot 2025 roadmap article.
Today, we will start from the basics and comprehensively understand the current development dynamics of Polkadot. Over the past four years, Polkadot has continued to evolve and has gradually grown into a powerful Web3 application engine. However, this process is not something everyone can keep up with in real-time and is not always widely recognized.
At the same time, we are pleased to see that more and more new friends are joining the Polkadot community, beginning to pay attention and ask: 'What exactly is happening with Polkadot?'
Therefore, in this content, we will sort out Polkadot's latest roadmap together, focusing on several key components:
Polkadot Cloud
Polkadot Hub
JAM (Join-Accumulate Machine)
Individuality
And combined with several core release plans that will have a significant impact on the market, it will help you see Polkadot's overall direction and transformation path.
Before we formally begin, I would like everyone to remember two keywords: Polkadot Cloud and Polkadot Hub.
Technology is constantly evolving, but more important than technology is the vision and future we are building.
In the Web3 world, we see various mainstream ecosystems iterating and upgrading, but the more important question we should ask is: what kind of future are they actually building?
At Polkadot, our answer is:
To build a globally distributed, scalable, and composable on-chain computing platform—namely, Polkadot Cloud and Polkadot Hub.
You can understand Polkadot Cloud as AWS or Google Cloud in the Web3 world: it is a feature-rich and diverse service network; in the future, you can access various Web3 application services, such as:
Identity system
Gaming and content platform
Real-world assets (RWA)
Decentralized finance (DeFi)
Data and storage services, etc.
These services are inherently interconnected and collaborative, forming the Web3 service ecosystem envisioned by Polkadot.
And this is precisely the keyword we have repeatedly emphasized: interoperability. Unlike other ecosystems that treat 'interconnectivity' as a later patch, Polkadot has built interoperability into its underlying architecture from the start.
In fact, since 2021, Polkadot has already achieved:
Shared Security mechanism
Parachain deployment mechanism
Efficient cross-chain communication protocol (XCM)
This laid the technical foundation for us to build a Web3 cloud service network today.
Of course, any new technology inevitably faces challenges in the early stages of landing. We have also gone through repeated observations, adjustments, and optimizations.
It is based on these practical experiences that we further propose: Polkadot 2.0.
You can think of Polkadot 2.0 as an upgraded version of the Polkadot Cloud architecture. Its core idea is: anyone can build a Web3 blockchain through the Polkadot SDK and deploy it as a service on the Cloud.
These chains are called Parachains; they are service modules on Polkadot Cloud that can be called and used by any user or other chain in the ecosystem.
We can further understand: Polkadot Cloud is a network composed of countless Web3 services that are inherently interoperable. Ideally, users only need one account to seamlessly use all services.
In our roadmap today, the first major timeline to mark is: Polkadot 2.0 is about to launch.
Polkadot 2.0: Late August to early September 2025
Next, we enter the main topic, detailing the core functions of Polkadot 2.0, and providing estimated launch timelines based on current development progress.
If you want to quickly explain what Polkadot 2.0 is to others, you can simply say: it is a comprehensive upgrade of Polkadot's network capabilities, bringing stronger execution power and computational resources to Polkadot and all parachains.
Structurally, Polkadot 2.0 includes three key technological modules, two of which are already live, with the third being prepared.
✅ The two functions that have already gone live:
1. Agile Coretime
This is a brand new resource leasing mechanism, with the core idea being:
Chains can rent Polkadot's core execution resources on a monthly basis, just like renting cloud servers.
Currently, all parachains have switched to operating in the 'Core Time Market', flexibly purchasing execution time in this way. This makes resource allocation more market-oriented and greatly improves overall sustainability.
2. Async Backing
This was the earliest introduced protocol upgrade, making block production more flexible:
Block production time can be fast or slow;
Block size and frequency can also be adjusted according to demand;
The entire system enters the era of elastic block production.
Currently, all parachains have defaulted to achieving 6 seconds block production and retain the capability for further acceleration, laying the foundation for future high-frequency applications.
The upcoming third feature: Elastic Scaling.
This feature will truly bring about the 'performance explosion' moment of Polkadot 2.0:
If a certain chain needs higher computing power or greater data throughput, it can rent multiple cores as needed.
No longer fixed resources, but 'rent as much as you need';
Support different applications to dynamically expand execution capabilities according to their needs.
Currently, this feature is undergoing final network stability testing. According to feedback from core developers, it is expected to go live in late August. Considering that it is already July, even with slight delays, we are very likely to see an official release by the end of August or early September.
What will Polkadot 2.0 (or Polkadot Cloud 2.0) bring?
It will reshape the market mechanism of core resources and have the following characteristics:
Core resources are no longer 'bound' but can be freely combined;
Parachains can flexibly acquire computing resources according to their own business needs;
Improving the economic efficiency and service capabilities of the entire Polkadot network.
Who is ready to use Elastic Scaling?
Currently, multiple projects have expressed clear intentions and even conducted internal testing:
In addition, there are several projects waiting in line to go live, including:
Hydration
Frequency
Mandala
Polimec
Vbrick
These projects have expressed a demand for multiple cores and are ready to integrate Elastic Scaling.
It is worth mentioning that Mythical migrated from Ethereum to Polkadot mainly because Ethereum could not meet their high-frequency trading and real-time operation needs, while the upcoming Elastic Scaling mechanism of Polkadot is an important driving force for their choice to migrate.
Current time expectations
In summary, the complete delivery timeline for Polkadot 2.0 can tentatively be set for:
Expected launch time: Late August to early September 2025
We can mark this key moment as a core milestone in the roadmap.
Polkadot Hub: Mid-September to October
Next, we will explain another heavyweight content, which is Polkadot Hub.
Polkadot Hub is the starting point for new users and developers to enter the Polkadot ecosystem. You can think of it as Polkadot's 'main entrance' or 'user center'.
On the Hub, users can:
With native assets like DOT, ETH, USDC, USDT;
Deploy and use smart contracts;
Perform staking and governance operations;
Use integrated cross-chain bridges to interact with other chains.
In other words, Polkadot Hub centralizes all key functions, making it the core platform for users to participate in the Polkadot network.
The relationship between Polkadot Hub and Polkadot Cloud
Polkadot Cloud and Hub complement each other:
Cloud provides a rich Web3 service ecosystem;
Hub is the starting point for every user and developer—you have addresses, assets here, and start exploring the entire network.
The two core functions of Polkadot Hub
1. Staking and Governance module
Currently deployed to the testnet Paseo;
Expected to be deployed to the Kusama testnet soon;
Technical preparations have been basically completed, with a plan to go live in mid-September.
However, this timeline also has some uncertainties. Some large centralized exchanges have been slow to respond to this upgrade and have recently proposed to delay the launch so that they can complete integration by the launch day.
Therefore, although the goal is to go live in mid-September, it may ultimately be postponed to October to avoid impacting the ecosystem's operation.
2. Smart Contracts
Successfully deployed on Kusama;
Currently undergoing practical testing through Hackathons and other methods, gathering developer feedback;
The functionality itself has been developed, and the priority is to optimize the developer experience.
The launch time on the mainnet has not yet been determined, but the overall progress is similar to that of the Staking module, and it is also expected to go live in September or October.
The contract platform is based on the brand new Polkadot virtual machine PolkaVM, aiming to provide higher performance than the Ethereum virtual machine (EVM). Currently, PolkaVM's performance indeed surpasses that of EVM, and future performance optimizations will continue.
Upcoming features: XCM Orchestration
This is the next evolution based on the capabilities of smart contracts and XCM (Cross-Chain Messaging Protocol).
The vision is as follows:
Users can call services from other chains in the Cloud through smart contracts on the Hub;
XCM is Polkadot's native cross-chain communication protocol, supporting cross-chain calls, information synchronization, asset transfer, and other operations;
The realization of this capability lies in multi-chain orchestration, building a truly interoperable on-chain network.
Currently, this feature has not yet been announced a clear timetable but is in the development stage. The team is also researching the precompiled modules of XCM, and the possibility of going live is getting closer, which is worth noting.
Timeline summary (estimated)
Other Cloud functions in progress (time undecided)
In addition to the already announced main functions, Polkadot Cloud also has two important user experience upgrades steadily progressing, although specific launch times have not yet been determined, their long-term significance is critical.
1. DOT as a universal payment method (DOT-as-Payment)
The goal is to make DOT a universal payment medium within the Polkadot ecosystem. In the future, regardless of which chain's service users use within the ecosystem, they can directly use DOT for payment without needing to convert assets.
2. Universal Address
The goal is to achieve 'one address universal': users only need one address to interact across multiple chains, manage assets, and participate in governance, greatly simplifying on-chain identity and account management.
These two functions have gradually been promoted in the ecosystem, and more and more parachains are beginning to adopt this standard. Although the migration cost is high, under the guidance of the Web3 Foundation and the core technology team, the chain-level support rate is steadily increasing.
For example, Hydration is one of the important projects recently completed for DOT payments and unified address integration.
Spamming performance testing plan: End of 2025
In December 2024, Polkadot completed a historic experiment on the Kusama network, setting a record of 143,000 transactions per second (TPS).
At that time, about 20-23 cores were used;
If calculated by this ratio, using all 100 cores of Polkadot could theoretically reach 500,000 to 600,000 TPS;
However, since all core resources on the mainnet have been rented out, it is difficult to reproduce this testing scenario, and thus it has not yet been possible to complete a million TPS verification on the mainnet.
In the future, we can expect to see:
High-intensity trading tests on Kusama again;
Or use the existing parachain network to conduct 'simulated attack' stress tests in a real application environment.
Although this is still speculative, these tests can be seen as one of the ecological 'catalyst events'. We expect to see similar tests reappear as early as the end of 2025, and if achieved, it will be very significant market signal.
NOMT integration: Time undecided
Recently, the Web3 Foundation or Parity Technologies reached a collaboration with Polkadot co-founder Robert Habermeier, planning to integrate its newly developed technology—NOMT into the Polkadot SDK.
This technology aims to address key bottleneck issues in blockchain: insufficient storage performance.
Robert has focused on research in this direction after leaving Parity and has designed a new structure;
The reading efficiency of the NOMT system is said to reach more than ten times that of existing solutions;
It has been confirmed to be officially integrated into the Polkadot SDK.
Although there is no clear timetable, it can be confirmed:
This will be another magnitude improvement in Polkadot's basic performance after Elastic Scaling;
If future spamming tests are conducted again, combined with NOMT technological breakthroughs, achieving one million TPS (1M TPS) for the first time is hopeful.
Let's continue, the next topic to discuss is Individuality.
Individuality: Boldly predicting that Gavin will release significant progress at this year's Web3 Summit
It is sometimes referred to as 'Proof of Personhood'. Essentially, it is an attempt to establish a digital citizenship system on the blockchain. In other words, it provides a way to verify that someone is a real, independent human being without relying on centralized KYC.
The core logic of this system is:
You can prove through decentralized mechanisms that you are human and unique;
You cannot forge multiple 'individualities' (i.e., you can only have one non-replicable 'you');
But under this individuality, you can create multiple 'identities';
At the same time, a person cannot join the same group with two identities.
The significance of this mechanism is that it directly addresses the key issues currently facing the blockchain and cyberspace: the proliferation of AI content and the abuse of robotic behavior.
Individuality provides a powerful countermeasure. It allows us to clearly prove two things on-chain:
I am a real person;
I only exist once.
This also makes it possible for some previously difficult mechanisms to come to fruition, such as:
UBI (Universal Basic Income) experiments;
Decentralized reputation system (anonymous but unique credit mechanism);
Digital citizenship systems, etc.
This mechanism is personally promoted by Gavin Wood. He has not only been developing it for nearly two years, but has also mentioned in multiple interviews that this idea has been brewing in his mind for more than a decade.
Next, we will see this system gradually come to fruition, with its main components including:
Multiple individuality verification mechanisms may collectively be referred to as DIM (Digitally Individuality Mechanisms);
A corresponding application (tentatively named Citizenship App) is being developed to access these mechanisms (the name may differ upon official release).
The following part is my speculation, but it has some basis:
From Gavin's statement, this system is more like a protocol rather than a function bound to the Polkadot main chain. This means it has characteristics of universality and decentralization and is likely to be published in the form of a formal paper or white paper.
I personally speculate that its release method may be a sudden launch rather than a prior announcement. No one has shown any related preview content yet, but this is Gavin's consistent style.
In addition, Gavin frequently talked about the concept of Individuality at last year's Web3 Summit. Although he does not like to be influenced by 'time nodes', if this achievement can be officially released at this year's Web3 Summit, it would be a very exciting moment.
So my guess is: we are likely to see the launch of the Citizenship App, or the release of a paper, or some mechanism go live. As for the current progress, I am very confident.
As far as I know, the technology modules related to Individuality (pallet) have already been deployed on Polkadot Hub. The key question is: how will it be opened to users?
We have already seen some technical modules go live on the Hub, and once the smart contract function is opened, the Hub will likely be able to interact with the Individuality App. This relationship may not be tightly coupled, but there will definitely be some degree of connection.
The first known mechanism is called tattoos, which belongs to the DIM-1 type. In addition, there may be some 'milder' verification methods, such as regularly participating in certain types of offline activities (like meetups), etc.—this is just my guess.
These mechanisms have not yet been published with a clear launch time, so they still fall under 'weakly deterministic events' on the timeline. However, from various signs, the project has entered a stage of readiness. For example, the tattoos mechanism (DIM-1) is said to have entered the audit stage. Generally speaking, entering the audit means that functional development has been completed, and the next step is to wait for deployment to Kusama or Polkadot.
Therefore, let's boldly predict again: Gavin may indeed 'suddenly release' a formal paper on Individuality during this year's Web3 Summit.
Well, that concludes the overview of the Individuality mechanism.
Next, we will move into the next key topic—JAM.
JAM: Will not launch this year
JAM is a 'supercomputer' in the Web3 world.
Although it is essentially a new blockchain, it is not just a chain, but a 'computing-level chain' with complete computing power. It far exceeds current common blockchain systems in multiple dimensions:
Can run any type of program;
Has stronger data availability
Has stronger computing power
But the core breakthrough lies in: JAM can continuously run programs of any complexity, which is something current blockchain systems cannot achieve.
How is it different from existing blockchains?
Most of the blockchains we use today are 'transactional' in their program execution:
Each program execution can only last a few seconds;
Then it must end and wait for the next call;
So developers have to break the logic down into callable 'function blocks', and cannot write complex logic that runs continuously for a long time.
While traditional computing devices, such as operating systems or games, can run continuously for long periods:
Your phone will not interrupt operation because of the 'next transaction';
Games can be played continuously for hours;
The program state can naturally evolve over time.
JAM creatively proposes a mechanism that not only stores program states on-chain but also supports programs to continuously run without interruption. This is exactly the design intention of Polkadot's new generation virtual machine—PVM (Polkadot Virtual Machine).
When will it go live?
There were rumors that JAM would launch this year, but this was actually a miscommunication. It can now be confirmed that JAM will not launch this year.
Perhaps we will see some new developments next year, but even so, it is still in the R&D stage (Research & Development), rather than a usable stage.
So far, only an initial version of the testnet has gone live, which should correspond to Milestone 1 (M1). The entire JAM project has planned five milestones, so we may see them successively in the future:
M1 testnet,
M2 testnet,
M3 testnet... and so on.
As for whether the final 'official testnet' will be deployed on existing networks like Kusama or Paseo, there is currently no conclusion, and only the core developers are likely to know the internal pace.
Overall, the current JAM is still at a very early stage, and we should view it as a long-term R&D project.
So how is the development progress?
Although the launch time is still uncertain, JAM's development is not just talk. On the contrary, it is steadily advancing in a very rigorous manner:
The team built a physical supercomputer prototype called JAM Toaster in Lisbon, running on thousands of machines;
The development process is highly systematic: from specification definition, prototype building, functional testing, to multi-client implementation (that is, developing multiple versions of JAM nodes in different programming languages);
All components are advancing in small, rapid steps.
This also means that there will temporarily not be a clear launch timeline for JAM. Therefore, any claims that 'JAM will launch in December this year' are not credible.
I personally have previously miscommunicated similar information due to excessive optimism and a desire to share good news, only to realize later that it was incorrect information. Therefore, I will now be more cautious about the JAM timeline.
So, in the future, we may see the M2 testnet go live, while the truly 'official testnet' may have to wait until 2026 or even 2027.
Core Chains are also part of JAM.
Core Chains are another key component, representing the process of migrating existing Polkadot parachains to the JAM architecture.
But even for Core Chains, I do not believe they will launch this year. Although core developers like Basti are conducting preliminary experiments, there is still time needed from prototype validation to production-level launch.
In summary, JAM is Polkadot's future 'computing layer' vision, which will change the definition of on-chain program execution in Web3. However, it is still in the early stages and is worth continuous attention.
500ms block time: 2026
Speaking of Basti, he recently conducted a very interesting experiment on Cloud: shortening the block production time to 500 milliseconds (500ms blocks).
Currently, he has developed a fairly mature prototype system that validates the feasibility of this idea. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to truly integrate it into the Polkadot network.
Currently, this function is still in the 'proof of concept' phase:
The experiment has been successfully run, proving the technical feasibility;
But it also exposes that to achieve this level of low latency, Polkadot's underlying mechanisms need significant modifications;
To support 500ms block production, the block production engine and related logic must undergo deep restructuring;
So it cannot enter the actual integration stage in the short term.
Therefore, I personally judge that this feature should not officially launch this year; a more realistic timeline may be next year. But of course, this is just my estimate, and there could be unexpected developments in November or December this year.
This experiment has been nicknamed 'Basti Blocks' by the community and has become a highly regarded exploration direction in the tech community.
It is worth mentioning that 500ms block production is not the only path, nor is Basti the only one trying.
For example, the Peaq project is also promoting similar optimizations, and they have even achieved 400ms block production on the testnet.
Once Elastic Scaling goes live in the future, and Peaq successfully rents Core, they may be able to activate such low-latency block production mechanisms immediately.
And the system built by Basti is actually a 'Reference Implementation':
Any team can build their own chain based on this architecture;
And directly use the 500ms block production mechanism within it.
The above is the main technical progress of JAM and Cloud at present.
Next, I want to enter a more speculative topic—events that could become 'catalysts' for the Polkadot ecosystem. Once these events occur, they could have a profound impact on the entire network's adoption and value.
Polkadot Pay: Coming soon, both iOS and Android versions have been submitted for review!
I want to start with an exciting good news: Polkadot Pay is coming!
As far as I understand, Polkadot Pay (or Play Polkadot Pay) is a mobile payment app that can be used on both iOS and Android. You can pay with DOT, and possibly even stablecoins.
It is expected to launch in several markets, including the U.S., and then gradually promote it globally. This is the first app launched by DAO, and it is currently under review by the Apple App Store. The Android version is also in the review process.
Although I don't know the exact launch time, what excites me is: this application has indeed been submitted for review! We have waited a long time; it was announced last year.
My guess is: we are likely to see it go live this month. Although this is just speculation, I am very confident. In about one to two weeks, I will meet with the project leader of Polkadot Pay, Birdo, and hope that we can celebrate the official launch of this application together!
In addition to Polkadot Pay, we should also pay attention to two 'catalyst' events:
DOT ETF: The final decision will come out in November
Recently, some people have been confused about the progress of the DOT ETF because the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been delaying the approval process. But this is a clearly defined process:
The SEC can delay at most two or three times (I have checked the data);
And this delay is already their last opportunity to postpone;
The SEC must make a final decision in November.
Currently, the U.S. government is relatively friendly towards cryptocurrencies, so theoretically, there is a chance for a DOT ETF.
From the data perspective:
DOT is highly decentralized;
The transaction volume is also sufficient;
Meets all technical standards for ETFs.
The two ETF applicants this time are Grayscale and 21Shares, and the final decision will be made in November, at which point there will be no more waiting.
In other words, we only need to wait another four months to know the fate of the DOT ETF.
Polkadot 2.0 Launch Party: Between September and October
Recently, I initiated a global online + offline event called the Polkadot Launch Party, aiming to celebrate the profound transformation Polkadot has achieved over the past two years. What important results have we achieved? Let's review together:
Comprehensive upgrade of user experience
On the wallet side: we now have excellent wallets like Talisman, greatly improving the user experience.
Clarification of the structure: The development path of Polkadot has become clear, forming a 'dual-core structure':
Polkadot Cloud: Aiming to build an interoperable service ecosystem and provide infrastructure for other chains;
Polkadot Hub: Serving as the core entry point for developers and users, supporting native assets like DOT, ETH, USDC, etc., with core functions such as smart contracts, staking, governance, and cross-chain.
Fundamental breakthrough in on-chain identity—Individuality
Once launched, Individuality will reshape the on-chain identity system, bringing a series of unprecedented possibilities:
Support for experimental mechanisms such as UBI (Universal Basic Income);
Build anonymous but credible communities and collaborative networks;
Introduce a brand new on-chain reputation system and digital citizenship model.
At the same time, Polkadot's proposed Individuality also represents an alternative to centralized KYC and biometric paths.
Unlike the 'eyeball scanning' being promoted in Silicon Valley (like Sam Altman's Orb project), Individuality is a more human-centric, privacy-friendly choice—maintaining anonymity, refusing to upload biological information while achieving uniqueness and credibility of identity.
Future-oriented technological foundation—JAM
JAM is building a supercomputer for Web3:
Can run any complex program;
Has stronger computing power and PB-level data availability;
Will become the core of Polkadot's future computing infrastructure.
The significance of the Polkadot Launch Party
We hope to use this Launch Party to connect all these key achievements and showcase the overall leap of Polkadot:
A global online hackathon;
Offline gatherings initiated by multiple cities (anyone is welcome to participate in the organization);
A complete set of supporting social media communication activities.
Currently, the celebration is planned to be held between this September and October. We have received support from the most core organizations in the ecosystem:
Radha from the Web3 Foundation will coordinate the hackathon activities;
The Roots Initiative is responsible for coordinating global offline gatherings;
The Distractive team and its content editing group will take on social media and communication promotion tasks;
We will also invite all ecological projects to participate, allowing every team willing to speak to have a place in this celebration.
The event has not yet locked in a specific date because we hope to align with the overall rhythm of Polkadot Hub's launch and celebrate synchronously at the most appropriate time.
Even if there are delays, it is completely fine—because Polkadot has already achieved so much worth celebrating! At this moment, all core functions (such as smart contracts, staking, governance, etc.) can already be fully experienced on Kusama.
Regardless of whether the final theme is 'Hub launch celebration' or 'Polkadot 2.0 release celebration', this will be the largest release window for Polkadot in the past four years, and we have every reason to celebrate together.
I firmly believe that many important developments can easily be overlooked, but their significance is profound. I hope my sharing today can inspire you.
I will also release an updated version of the roadmap chart later (it may be the chart shown today or an updated version), and I will continue to synchronize whenever there is progress in the future.
Overall, our roadmap is gradually 'turning green'—this means that Polkadot is steadily moving towards the future it has set.
Reference video: https://www.youtube.com/live/iVYu_0aNKrg
