The Cosmos Hub has successfully upgraded to Gaia v20, making it easier than ever for new Consumer Chains and validators to join the Cosmos Hub. This release brings three powerful new features that lower the barriers for chains and validators, making it easier to participate in the growing interchain ecosystem. 

• Permissionless ICS

• ICS with Inactive Hub Validators

• Removal of Unbonding Pausing from ICS

Key features of Gaia v20

1. Permissionless ICS (Prop 945)

With Permissionless Interchain Security (ICS), new chains can now launch on the Cosmos Hub without the need for a governance proposal. If a chain is set up as an “opt-in” chain, it can be permissionlessly launched by simply issuing a transaction. 

Consumer Chains are registered with a single transaction when underlying parameters are defined. Once the spawn time has been reached and at least one validator has opted in, the consumer chain is launched. 

This simplifies the process for new projects and reduces the time it takes to onboard Consumer Chains. Note that governance approval is still needed for chains launching as Top N on the Hub. You can read more about the feature here.

2. ICS with Inactive Hub Validators (Prop 930)

This feature allows validators outside the Cosmos Hub’s active set to participate in validating Consumer Chains. Essentially, even if a validator isn’t part of the top active set (180 currently) on the Hub, they can still contribute to securing new chains. This opens up opportunities for a broader range of validators, as the first 200 validators are eligible to validate Consumer Chains. By increasing validator diversity, the feature lowers the entry barriers for both validators and chains, helping distribute risk more evenly across the network.

3. Removal of Unbonding Pausing from ICS (ADR 018)

Previously, the Interchain Security protocol included a feature that paused unbonding in certain situations, tying the liveness of undelegation operations to both the Hub and Consumer Chains. With this new upgrade, the unbonding pause is removed, making the process simpler and eliminating dependencies between the Hub and Consumer Chains. This change streamlines the ICS protocol and improves overall efficiency.

4. Security and Patch release: The release also bumps CosmWasm/wasmd to v0.53.0 and ibc-go to v8.5.1.

Why this matters for the interchain?

Gaia v20 upgrade makes it easier for new chains and validators to join the Cosmos ecosystem with less friction. These features are a crucial step toward reducing complexity, increasing validator participation, and accelerating the growth of the interchain. 

We are continually making it easier for developers to launch chains as painlessly as possible. With Forge, an upcoming Hub product, we aim to simplify and accelerate the development and onboarding process for Consumer Chains, ensuring a smoother experience for developers.

Whether you're a developer, a validator, or a holder, this upgrade brings tangible benefits that will make the Cosmos Hub more efficient, secure, and ready for the future of blockchain technology.

For more information on how to get started with it, explore the official documentation and join the vibrant community of developers making a difference in the interchain space.

Welcome to the best place to launch a chain.