Van Rossem Hard Fork Enters Final Rollout — Node 10.7.0 Released for Mainnet
Intersect's Hard Fork Working Group has released Cardano node 10.7.0, the mainnet-ready candidate for Protocol Version 11. The fork introduces new Plutus built-ins — including BLS12-381 multi-scalar multiplication — enabling efficient ZK proof verification directly on Cardano L1.
Cardano's development community cleared a major technical threshold with the release of node 10.7.0, the mainnet-ready software candidate for the Van Rossem hard fork. Managed by Intersect's Hard Fork Working Group, the release sets the stage for activation of Protocol Version 11 — an upgrade that expands Plutus capabilities and positions Cardano's Layer 1 as a native venue for zero-knowledge proof verification.
What Node 10.7.0 Actually Introduces
The headline technical addition in this release is support for BLS12-381 multi-scalar multiplication (MSM) as a Plutus built-in. BLS12-381 is the elliptic curve used by a wide class of ZK proving systems including Groth16 and PLONK. Adding MSM as a native built-in dramatically reduces the on-chain cost of verifying ZK proofs, which previously required prohibitively expensive script execution.
Additional Plutus built-ins include expanded bitwise operations and integer-to-byte-string conversions. The node release also includes improvements to UTXO diffusion performance and memory management optimizations that benefit SPOs running high-throughput staking infrastructure.
The ZK Proof Implications
ZK proof verification on Layer 1 opens a consequential design space. Developers can now build smart contracts that accept compressed cryptographic proofs as inputs — enabling private computation with public verifiability. Practical applications include privacy-preserving identity attestations, compressed rollup state verification, cross-chain bridge security improvements, and confidential DeFi instruments.
This is also strategically relevant to Midnight Network. Midnight relies on ZK proofs as a core component of its selective disclosure architecture. Efficient L1 verification of ZK proofs creates a potential bridge layer through which Midnight's off-chain privacy guarantees can be anchored to Cardano's main chain with significantly lower cost overhead than previously possible.
Activation Timeline and Governance Process
Under Cardano's Voltaire governance model, the hard fork cannot activate through IOG unilaterally. A Protocol Parameter Update governance action must receive approval from DReps, SPOs, and the Constitutional Committee before the network transitions. The Hard Fork Working Group has initiated the governance coordination process.
SPOs are urged to update nodes promptly, as the fork requires a supermajority of block-producing stake to run the new version before activation can proceed. Exchange and infrastructure partners have been pre-briefed through Intersect's coordination channels. The community should monitor governance portals for the formal on-chain action submission, expected shortly after SPO adoption reaches threshold levels.