BNB Smart Chain Enhances Performance with Fermi Upgrade

Binance Blog published a new article, introducing the Fermi upgrade for BNB Smart Chain, aimed at enhancing performance by reducing block time from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds while maintaining network stability under real production conditions. This upgrade is delivered through the BSC v1.6.4 client, with v1.6.5 following as a synchronized maintenance release. The article highlights the significance of predictable block times at scale, emphasizing that faster blocks are beneficial only if they remain reliable. The Fermi upgrade is designed to improve responsiveness for users and developers without compromising reliability, addressing latency issues that can affect user experience and developer design choices. The article explains that shorter block intervals are crucial for a chain operating at a global scale, as raw throughput alone is insufficient. The entire system must behave predictably while running faster under real production conditions, involving validators, nodes, infrastructure providers, wallets, and applications. The Fermi hard fork represents the next chapter in BSC's evolution, completing the short block interval roadmap to enable faster operations without sacrificing the reliability that developers, users, and operators depend on. For users, this means faster confirmations and smoother interactions with applications on BSC. Developers benefit from lower latency and more responsive on-chain interactions, which are vital for applications where speed is core to the product experience. Node operators can run a faster chain without trading away stability. Fermi introduces a set of BEPs that work together to improve end-to-end performance, with the most visible change being the block interval reduction from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds, the shortest in BSC's history. This reduction enhances the user and builder experience across wallets, infrastructure, and applications, making the chain feel faster. Transactions can be included sooner, confirmation times tighten, and DApps feel more responsive during peak activity, particularly for high-frequency DeFi use cases, advanced trading strategies, and workflows where users expect fast on-chain settlement. The article also discusses how Fermi fits into the BNB Chain 2026 roadmap, focusing on refining everyday performance and ensuring speed gains come with the stability expected by the ecosystem. The article concludes by emphasizing that speed is only meaningful when it translates into real usability. Fermi is a step toward a chain that feels faster in everyday interactions while preserving the stability that allows an ecosystem to build with confidence, even as on-chain finance and consumer applications continue to grow. As this work is incremental by design, Fermi is one step in a broader roadmap, aiming to ship upgrades that make BSC faster and more capable without compromising the reliability the ecosystem depends on.