Input Output announced Friday it will transfer control of Cardano's core blockchain infrastructure to external specialist firms starting in August, with the transition running through 2027. The handover includes the Haskell node, Plutus smart-contract platform, Daedalus wallet, and Hydra scaling technology. The announcement comes one day before the Van Rossem hard fork activates on July 18 at 21:44 UTC, taking Cardano to Protocol Version 11 and cutting smart contract execution costs. Founder Charles Hoskinson called it the final push of the Voltaire era, the governance and decentralization phase Cardano has been building toward since 2024. ADA ticked up about 2% to roughly $0.165 on Friday, trading at $6 billion market capitalization, but remains nearly 95% below its 2021 all-time high.
Input Output Transfers Core Infrastructure to External Firms
The firms taking over include Se7en Labs, a development agency with a Solana infrastructure background, and Teragone, a cryptographic research team that already leads development of Mithril, Cardano's stake-based signature protocol. At least three independent node implementations in Haskell, Rust, and Go will run in parallel, overseen by community bodies Intersect and Pragma. The transition runs through 2027.
Charles Hoskinson stated in the IOGroup announcement that "Our partners are ready, and the ecosystem now has many diverse options." The new motto of the blockchain is "Built by many, owned by all." Input Output will shift focus to research and new ventures through IO Labs and IO Ventures.
Van Rossem Hard Fork Activates July 18 at 21:44 UTC
The Van Rossem hard fork goes live on mainnet on July 18 at 21:44 UTC. Ratified on July 13 with 77.63% approval from delegated community representatives, the upgrade takes Cardano to Protocol Version 11 and introduces new Plutus built-in functions designed to cut smart contract execution costs.
ADA Trades Near $0.165 with $193 Million Open Interest
Cardano, which trades as ADA, is up about 2% on the day, trading near $0.165, at $6 billion market capitalization. Open interest in ADA futures sits around $193 million, with a long-to-short ratio of 2.84. The coin has been grinding lower since August 2025, with the 50-week exponential moving average below the 200-week. The Relative Strength Index sits at 34. ADA remains nearly 95% below its 2021 all-time high and hasn't come close to matching its 2024 highs near $1.20.
FAQ
What infrastructure is Input Output transferring to external firms?
Input Output announced Friday it will transfer control of Cardano's Haskell node, Plutus smart-contract platform, Daedalus wallet, and Hydra scaling technology to external specialist firms starting in August, with the transition running through 2027.
When does the Van Rossem hard fork activate on Cardano?
The Van Rossem hard fork goes live on mainnet on July 18 at 21:44 UTC. Ratified on July 13 with 77.63% approval from delegated community representatives, the upgrade takes Cardano to Protocol Version 11 and introduces new Plutus built-in functions designed to cut smart contract execution costs.
What is ADA's current price and market capitalization?
ADA is trading near $0.165 at $6 billion market capitalization, up about 2% on the day. Open interest in ADA futures sits around $193 million, with a long-to-short ratio of 2.84, but the coin remains nearly 95% below its 2021 all-time high.
