Cardano's development arm, Input Output Global (IOG), has officially restructured its roadmap, dropping multiple parallel initiatives to concentrate on fewer, more advanced frameworks. The most notable casualties are the Acropolis Rust-based node project and the Tiered Pricing model.
Acropolis to Cease Development in April 2026
IOG confirmed that the Acropolis project will be discontinued in April 2026. The initiative was built to improve infrastructure diversity with a Rust node, and had already delivered upgrades such as faster blockchain synchronization. However, IOG stated the project no longer fits the network’s evolving direction. “We’re changing course to prioritize Cardano’s growth. We are ceasing development on Acropolis to focus on chain abstraction and cancelling Tiered Pricing to align with the Leios roadmap. This decision returns ₳4.1 million to the Treasury,” the firm said. The Tiered Pricing model was scrapped because research tied to Ouroboros Leios indicated upcoming transaction processing changes could render it obsolete.
New Focus: Chain Abstraction and Leios
Development has pivoted to chain abstraction and Leios-related upgrades, which aim to simplify developer and user interaction while improving throughput. Charles Hoskinson has suggested that Leios could launch within the year, potentially introducing a scaling model that maintains decentralization.
Treasury Return Raises Transparency Questions
As part of the restructuring, about 4.1 million ADA is being returned to the treasury. But an X user highlighted a discrepancy: Based on earlier treasury allocation figures, roughly 2.66 million ADA remains unaccounted for. He questioned whether that amount is tied to the existing Acropolis code and flagged issues with the project’s GitHub link. IOG has not yet responded to the query.