- Cardano launched the “Face Melting Net” testnet as part of its Leios roadmap, using AI agents to simulate high-frequency DeFi trading and push the protocol to its performance limits.
- Leios introduces a concurrent blockchain model with three block types to enable parallel processing and boost scalability without requiring hardware upgrades.
- Simulations suggest Leios could allow Cardano to exceed 1,000 TPS, putting it in direct competition with other high-speed networks.
Cardano (ADA) is stress-testing its next-generation protocol with what its founder Charles Hoskinson calls the “Face Melting Net”.
The testnet is part of the Leios development track and introduces a swarm of AI agents designed to hit the network with high-frequency transactions, at least that’s what Hoskinson said:
As part of the Leios Research agenda, we are going to build a testnet running the protocol at the fastest possible speeds. We’ll populate it with thousands of AI agents to trade amongst each other.

Leios To Enhance Cardano’s Capabilities
And what is Leios? Hoskinson described Leios with colourful enthusiasm, comparing its power to an extreme boost in performance and intensity, suggesting it will push the network to its absolute limits.
Leios basically introduces a concurrent blockchain model that allows multiple blocks to exist at the same level. It decouples the blocks from one another and enables parallel processing.
Explained simply, the architecture splits Cardano’s blockchain workload into three distinct block types: input blocks for transactions, endorsement blocks for validation, and ranking blocks for ordering. The idea is to basically flatten the transaction pipeline and remove ordering dependencies that currently constrain speed.
Separating these functions removes the choke points that slow traditional chains, allowing transaction processing, validation, and ordering to run independently and in parallel.
What does this mean? Leios might enhance Cardano, not with new hardware, but by using existing capacity more efficiently. Simulation models have already suggested that throughput could exceed 1,000 transactions per second, putting it more in competition with high-performance networks like Solana (SOL) or Sui Network (SUI)
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The goal is simple: to push the protocol to its limits under sustained pressure and capture data that reflects real-world demand, not theoretical load.
ADA’s price is currently trading above US$0.67 (AU$1.04), a 3.6% decrease in the last 24 hours, and 4.9% in the last week, according to CoinGecko data.
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