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Winklevoss-owned Gemini switches Zcash software ahead of faster 25-second blocks
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- DeepHorus
Gemini, the Winklevoss-controlled exchange, replaced Zebra with Zakura for its Zcash systems. The change cut synchronization from nearly a day to just over six hours. It precedes NU7, which would shorten block intervals from 75 seconds to 25 seconds and triple processing frequency.
Zcash nodes verify transaction history before Gemini can credit arriving ZEC. If one crashes or falls behind, deposits and withdrawals may remain paused while it catches up or a replacement is rebuilt. Faster syncing can shorten disruptions, but coins remain untradable until verification is complete.
Zakura’s developers reported a separate synchronization test lasting four hours and 20 minutes, versus nearly 21 hours for Zebra. Their software also offers a recent-data snapshot that avoids downloading Zcash history from the beginning. In their test, that method was about 680 times faster than a standard synchronization.
NU7 is scheduled for Zcash’s test network on Oct. 6, with results reviewed before a proposed Nov. 5 mainnet activation. The upgrade would produce blocks every 25 seconds instead of 75, requiring nodes to process transaction batches three times as often. Gemini has not published a Zakura test under that faster schedule.
Gemini’s Zcash interests extend beyond the exchange. The Winklevoss investment firm led a $59 million financing of Cypherpunk Technologies, a public company that holds and mines ZEC. A Winklevoss affiliate sold Cypherpunk a $33 million mining fleet in August, while Cypherpunk says Gemini handles trading and custody for its holdings.
The Zakura migration gives Gemini a head start, but the unresolved issue is whether it remains stable under NU7’s heavier workload. Test-network results and Gemini’s post-upgrade data will determine how much the faster synchronization translates into smoother trading and custody operations. Mainnet activation will depend on developer assessment, leaving Nov. 5 as a target rather than a completed deployment.
