The Internet Computer is preparing for a network upgrade that could raise the maximum number of canisters a subnet can host from 120,000 to 250,000, although the increase has not yet taken effect.
Recent network improvements have given DFINITY engineers greater confidence that subnets can operate efficiently with much larger numbers of canisters. According to DFINITY engineer Stefan Schneider, a subnet hosting about 100,000 canisters can now produce and execute roughly 2.3 blocks per second, close to the maximum throughput supported by the network’s consensus system. Previously, a subnet at that scale struggled to maintain one block per second.
The proposal is aimed at increasing hosting capacity across the network rather than improving the speed or computing power of individual applications. If implemented, each subnet would be able to accommodate more canisters, allowing more applications and services to be hosted before additional subnets are required.
The rollout is being handled in two stages. DFINITY says the first stage requires 36 Network Nervous System proposals, submitted in batches, to reset affected subnets to the replica software’s default canister limit. Those proposals are currently being submitted, but they do not change the capacity limit because the default remains 120,000 canisters.
The actual increase would come in a later replica software release. That future release is expected to include a proposal to raise the default subnet limit from 120,000 to 250,000 canisters. The change would only take effect if the proposal is approved through NNS governance and the updated replica software is deployed across the network.
The distinction is important because some observers have interpreted the current governance proposals as an immediate capacity expansion. DFINITY has clarified that the current proposals are preparation work, while the increase to 250,000 canisters would require a separate software update and governance approval.
Supporting material published by DFINITY points to recent engineering work focused on improving subnet performance under high canister counts. The reported throughput improvements suggest that the network has become more efficient at handling large numbers of canisters without approaching consensus limits.
If approved, the proposal would more than double the canister capacity of a subnet, expanding the amount of application hosting space available across the Internet Computer. The timing of the final increase will depend on the future replica release and the outcome of the governance process.
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