Cardano Transfers Core Infrastructure Control to External Teams

Input Output, the Cardano development company, is transferring control of core blockchain infrastructure to external teams. The initiative targets Haskell nodes, Plutus smart contract platform, Daedalus wallet, Hydra scaling technology, and developer relations. According to Coindesk, Seven Labs, a blockchain infrastructure specialist, and Terragon, developer of the Ada-based signing protocol Misery, will handle specific components. The transition, starting in August 2027, follows Cardano's previous move to decentralize protocol decisions and governance to the community. Input Output emphasized that the next phase involves dispersing responsibility for software development and maintenance. Charles Hoskinson, CEO of Input Output and Cardano founder, stated, 'The final stage of the Voltaire era is full decentralization of nodes and reference architecture development.' Under the plan, independent teams will maintain at least three Cardano implementations written in Haskell, Rust, and Go. Member organizations like Intersect and Pragma will oversee official specifications, with development subject to community review and voting. Input Output will focus more on research and new business ventures. The announcement comes as Cardano faces sluggish network activity, with its total value locked (TVL) at $7 million, significantly lower than Tron's and Solana's over $4 billion. Its native token ADA has also plummeted, trading around 16 cents compared to its 2021 peak of $3.10.