- Sharded Layer-1 blockchains like NEAR and EGLD now achieve over 1M TPS with fast cross-shard communication and low node requirements.
- Validator shuffling and shard-level security ensure high resilience and decentralization without compromising performance or speed.
- Dynamic, automated shard scaling will make blockchain networks self-regulating and more scalable than current modular or L2 solutions.
A major leap in blockchain scalability has arrived. Sharded Layer-1s like NEAR and MultiversX (EGLD) can now scale to over one million transactions per second (TPS) without sacrificing speed, decentralization, or security. This technical milestone reshapes the blockchain trilemma and pushes Layer-1 technology beyond theoretical limits.
According to industry expert Justin Bons, fast cross-shard communication—once a core limitation—has now been effectively solved. Consequently, sharded chains can match or even surpass the performance of high-speed competitors like Solana, Aptos, and Sui.
Besides unlocking massive throughput, sharding keeps node requirements low. Adding new shards does not increase the hardware burden on validators. Hence, the network can grow horizontally without centralizing. This solves the long-standing problem of balancing scalability and decentralization. Furthermore, sharded networks now operate more like a single unified chain rather than fragmented clusters. This delivers a seamless user experience, eliminating the complexity often found in Layer-2 solutions.
Dynamic Scaling on the Horizon
However, while current implementations are impressive, sharding remains static. Chains still require manual shard expansion as demand grows. The final step in this evolution involves automating shard creation and load balancing directly in the protocol. Once achieved, it will transform scalability into a dynamic, self-regulating process. As Bons explains, this would be like running thousands of Solanas simultaneously, each perfectly interoperable and load-balanced.
Additionally, shards maintain security through random validator assignment. This validator shuffling makes targeted attacks on single shards statistically impossible. Moreover, the system ensures each shard stays above the minimum threshold to resist denial-of-service attempts. Consequently, sharded Layer-1s can offer enterprise-grade resilience and high performance without trusted intermediaries.
Sharding Outpaces L2 Models
Unlike modular scaling, which often fragments user experience, sharding offers monolithic benefits with none of the downsides. All shards behave identically and communicate natively at Layer-1. This improves developer usability and user experience. Moreover, sharding mirrors the advantages of enshrined rollups—yet avoids the external dependencies and fragmentation.
