Sub-Second Latency

Definition ∞ Sub-second latency refers to the ability of a blockchain network to process and finalize transactions in less than one second. This high-speed transaction processing is a crucial characteristic for applications requiring near-instantaneous confirmations, such as real-time payments, high-frequency trading, or interactive decentralized applications. Achieving sub-second latency often involves advanced consensus mechanisms, optimized network architectures, and efficient data propagation techniques. It significantly enhances the user experience and broadens the practical applicability of blockchain technology.
Context ∞ The pursuit of sub-second latency is a major focus for emerging layer-1 blockchains and layer-2 scaling solutions, aiming to compete with traditional financial systems in transaction speed. A key challenge involves maintaining decentralization and security while achieving such high throughput. Future developments will likely see continued innovation in consensus algorithms and sharding technologies to make sub-second transaction finality a more common feature across digital asset networks.