Celestia's Mammoth Mini Testnet Achieves 27MB/s Data Throughput

The Celestia core developer community has unveiled promising results from its Mammoth Mini testnet, achieving an average data throughput of 27MB/s with 88 MB blocks. This development marks a significant step towards the community's ambitious goal of implementing 1GB blocks, according to Celestia Blog.

The Mammoth Mini Testnet

Launched in October 2024, the Mammoth Mini testnet was designed to explore the potential of scaling data throughput. While Celestia's current capacity is capped at 2 MB blocks every 12 seconds, the testnet aims to push these limits significantly. The initial iteration, developed over a three-week sprint, demonstrates the implementation of several key improvements, including compact blocks and a new high-throughput blob propagation protocol known as Vacuum!.

Compact Blocks and Vacuum!

The testnet employs the concept of compact blocks, which optimizes data transmission by reducing the need for nodes to download full transaction data. Instead, nodes download only identifiers of transactions, substantially cutting down on bandwidth requirements. Vacuum! complements this by synchronizing validator mempools with high-priority transactions, enhancing the speed and efficiency of data propagation.

Simulating FBSS and State Machine Optimizations

Another innovation tested on the Mammoth Mini is the decoupling of block and square construction, termed Fast Blocks Slow Squares (FBSS). This approach allows for rapid block production without the encoding overhead of squares, potentially enabling sub-second block times. Additionally, the testnet simulates state machine optimizations to improve execution efficiency, addressing previously unoptimized areas within Celestia's protocol.

Future Prospects

The advancements showcased in the Mammoth Mini are part of a broader roadmap to enhance Celestia's blockchain capabilities. With several improvements already transitioning from research to design phases, the community plans to propose these enhancements for Mainnet Beta deployment in 2025. As Celestia continues to innovate, the Mammoth Mini testnet stands as a testament to the potential of blockchain technology in addressing emerging data throughput needs.