#加密市场观察 data shows that the number of validator nodes on the Solana network has dropped significantly from a high of 2,560 in March 2023 to the current 795, a drop of 68%, raising concerns about the network's decentralization.

Industry insiders pointed out that in addition to cleaning up "zombie nodes", the core reason is the continuous rise in operating costs + zero fee competition for large nodes, which is systematically squeezing out small and medium-sized validators.
An independent validator operator said that many small nodes are not bearish on Solana, but that the economic model is no longer sustainable: "Without economic viability, decentralization becomes an act of charity. ”
At the same time, Solana's Nakamoto Coefficient fell from 31 to 20 during the same period, a drop of about 35%, indicating that control of staked SOL is concentrated in a small number of large nodes, and the network's decentralization is declining.
In terms of cost, only to maintain operation (excluding hardware and servers), nodes need at least $49,000 equivalent SOL in the first year; Approximately 401 SOL is required annually to pay for voting; Daily voting transaction costs can reach up to 1.1 SOL/day. Solana is gradually evolving from a "widely participating node structure" to a large-scale institutional node-dominated structure, which may have a profound impact on the network security structure and governance landscape in the long run.