کسپا KAS / Kaspa

What Is KASPA (KAS)?

Kaspa is a fast, scalable Layer-1 cryptocurrency built on proof-of-work (PoW) and powered by the GHOSTDAG protocol — a novel consensus mechanism that extends Nakamoto’s original design. Unlike traditional blockchains that discard competing blocks, GHOSTDAG allows parallel blocks to coexist and orders them within a Directed Acyclic Graph (blockDAG), enabling high throughput while preserving decentralization and security. Kaspa currently processes 10 blocks per second, with a long-term goal of scaling to 100 blocks per second, offering confirmation times limited only by internet latency. This level of performance was made possible by the Crescendo upgrade — a hardfork that successfully increased Kaspa’s block rate to 10 BPS while maintaining network stability. Kaspa's mission is to create a PoW that operates with internet speed, combining the reliability of proof-of-work with the responsiveness demanded by modern applications. True to its foundational principles, Kaspa is engineered for accessibility and decentralization. Its full node runs smoothly on a standard PC, requiring modest hardware thanks to efficient multithreaded CPU use and a secure pruning mechanism that limits disk usage while preserving cryptographic integrity. This design reflects Satoshi’s original vision — a decentralized network where anyone can participate fully without specialized equipment. Layer-2 solutions are in active development to further expand Kaspa’s capabilities. These efforts aim to leverage Kaspa’s unique architecture — particularly its multi-leader consensus — to support scalable applications, MEV resistance, decentralized oracles, and secure sequencing for broader ecosystem growth.

Who Are the Founders of Kaspa?

Kaspa’s originator is Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky (Harvard University), whose research under Prof. Aviv Zohar (Hebrew University) introduced scalable proof-of-work protocols that generalize Nakamoto Consensus. The project began through DAGLabs a research company founded by Sompolinsky and funded by Polychain Capital. Elichai Turkel, also a Bitcoin Core contributor, served as DAGLabs’ applied cryptographer during its development phase. DAGLabs was dissolved around the time of Kaspa’s fair launch in November 2021, transitioning the project to a decentralized, community-led model. Kaspa’s ongoing development and research are driven by a global group of contributors who maintain and advance the protocol. A list of active contributors can be found on Rusty Kaspa’s contributor page and at research.kas.pa. Kaspa remains an open-source, permissionless project with no central governance or business model.