What’s Ahead for Polkadot This Year: From Coretime to JAM

This upgrade moves beyond the original model of auctioned parachains and introduces a flexible, on-demand system for accessing blockchain resources.

The founder Gavin Wood illustrated this shift with a metaphor: Polkadot 1.0 was like a company selling only pancakes—self-supplied ingredients, but just one product. Polkadot 2.0, in contrast, sells both the pancakes and the ingredients separately. Those ingredients are called Coretime—chunks of computational power available to rent.

Key Technologies: Agile Coretime, Elastic Scaling, and JAM

Instead of requiring projects to win community-backed auctions, developers can now buy Coretime directly, dramatically reducing the barrier to entry. This flexibility opens the door for a wider range of projects, especially those with fluctuating resource needs, such as Web3 games or NFT drops.

Three major innovations are driving this transformation:

Asynchronous Backing (May 2024): Cut block production time in half and allowed simultaneous validation. Result: 10x throughput and 4x data per block, setting the stage for 1,000 parachains. Agile Coretime (September 2024): Let developers buy block space on demand, removing the need for auctions and enabling short-term, cost-efficient use. Elastic Scaling (Rolling out in 2025): Designed to handle more blockchains and transaction volume, this update uses parallel processing to prevent congestion.

Coretime Trading and the Rise of a DOT-Powered Economy

Projects can resell unused Coretime on secondary markets, creating a new dynamic economy powered by DOT. The first Coretime sale occurred on October 6, 2024, with one of five units sold for 69 DOT. This model improves capital efficiency and may drive long-term value growth for DOT holders.

JAM and the Future of Polkadot’s Architecture

In April 2024, Polkadot introduced JAM—a major protocol upgrade replacing the existing Relay Chain with a more modular, developer-friendly infrastructure. JAM brings in a “supercomputer” concept, letting developers build without managing backend infrastructure.

To promote JAM adoption, the Web3 Foundation launched a 10M DOT + 100K KSM incentive program, kicking off with the JAM Tour in Asia, led by Gavin Wood.

Treasury Transparency and Community Feedback

Despite the tech progress, Polkadot’s treasury has come under scrutiny. In mid-2024, Chief Ambassador Tommy Enenkel raised concerns about financial transparency. He noted the treasury has about two years of reserves, but crypto volatility makes that estimate unstable.

His report called for better capital efficiency, including more use of bounties and decentralized collectives. Following that, the community backed a plan to lower DOT inflation to 8%, reducing sell pressure and preserving long-term treasury value.

Conclusion: 2025 Is a Defining Year for Polkadot

With Coretime, JAM, and a shift to more flexible blockchain development, Polkadot is redefining how on-chain ecosystems scale and evolve. The protocol is shedding its rigid parachain model in favor of one that’s modular, market-driven, and developer-first.

While concerns around treasury management remain, the roadmap ahead makes it clear: Polkadot isn’t just preparing for growth—it’s engineering a foundation for the next era of Web3.

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