Fresh From FF: Mid-August

NV23 upgrade, codenamed "Waffle," went live on Mainnet on August 6. This upgrade brings significant enhancements focused on simplified processes, optimized proof mechanisms, streamlined sector commitments, enhanced cryptographic support, and strengthened security. Several Filecoin Improvement Proposals (FIPs), such as FIP0065, help the network operate more efficiently and lay the groundwork for more flexible data commitment methods.

Messari’s State of Filecoin Q2 2024 report is out. Read it for a detailed overview of the network, including increased network utilization rates, more data client onboarding, continued network maturation as the DePIN backbone for AI advancements, and more.

Join FIL Singapore, hosted by MetaPals and supported by Filecoin Foundation. FIL SG: Web3 Wonderland is the marquee event alongside TOKEN2049, bringing together some of the sharpest minds and most innovative projects across Web3 and AI. Reserve your spot.

Ecosystem

Builders Funnel

Join the next Developer Working Group (DevWG) meeting, August 29. This monthly call connects Filecoin developers and community members to discuss key areas of interest across the developer community. Have questions? Check out our repo or connect in the builder discussion channel in Discord.

Storage Community

Several FIPs in the NV23 Waffle upgrade address critical aspects of the network's functionality, including FIP0065, which simplifies the network's circulating supply calculation by excluding the locked balances of the built-in market actor, preparing for direct data commitments without requiring market deals.
Filecoin Fast Finality (F3) was accepted. This change reduces finalization time from approximately 7.5 hours to ~15 minutes using existing information and without protocol changes, addressing a key barrier for apps, exchanges, and interoperability. Read more.

Network Operations

Governance

Check out the latest one-pager on FIP0093. This proposal aims to set the balance of the mining reserve (address f090) to zero, effectively removing 282.9 million FIL tokens from potential future use. This action would reduce the total supply of FIL to approximately 1.717 billion. Join the full discussion on GitHub.
FIP one-pagers are high-level summary documents prepared by the FF Governance team. They are intended to provide an overview of recently opened FIPs and should not be considered exhaustive or final representations of the proposals. These summaries reflect the current state of discussion and are meant to inform the community.
Watch the most recent Filecoin Core Developers call, diving into new proposals, the NV23 Waffle Upgrade, and the timeline discussion for NV24.

Fil Plus

Rolling allocator applications are open for submissions. Allocators are a core part of the Fil+ program and help incentivize the storage of useful data on the Filecoin network. Allocators designing new pathways, such as those listed in the Request for Allocators (RFA), are receiving priority review.
The August 6 Allocator Call is available on YouTube. If you would like to attend these meetings live, add the Fil+ Allocator Governance calendar.

Comms, Marketing, & Events

Filecoin Foundation President and Chair Marta Belcher joined Chainalysis CMO Ian Andrews on the Public Key Podcast to talk about the evolving landscape of crypto policy.
Filecoin Foundation joined the NFT.Storage community as a gold member to help preserve digital assets and ensure that NFTs remain accessible and verifiable for future generations.
Join the Filecoin community in Bangkok to explore decentralized AI infrastructure, DePIN, and the evolving data economy at FIL Bangkok. Reserve your spot now and keep an eye out for programming announcements!
Check out the global Orbit events happening near you at fil.org/orbit! Network with members of your local Filecoin community at these always welcoming, free-to-attend Orbit events.

Featured Datasets on Filecoin

Ushahidi is leveraging Filecoin to understand past elections and identify trends that can inform future democratic advancements.
Baseline by Guardian Project is utilizing Filecoin to verify and preserve documentation and played an important role in disaster relief efforts during Hurricane Otis.