Astar Network Infrastructure Upgrade: Switch to the Agile Coretime Model
Introduction
Hello, Astar Community!
We’re excited to share a major infrastructure evolution for Astar Network as we prepare to transition from the legacy parachain lease system to Polkadot’s Agile Coretime model, a foundational component of Polkadot 2.0. This shift ensures long-term scalability, cost-efficiency, and seamless operation for our network and its developers.
With Astar’s current parachain lease set to expire in August 2025, now is the time to embrace a more autonomous and efficient system. Rather than re-entering capital-intensive crowdloan auctions, Astar will adopt Agile Coretime, a flexible, programmable approach to acquiring execution resources within the Polkadot ecosystem.
This is more than a technical upgrade, it’s a strategic leap forward in how Astar operates, evolves, and delivers value to users and developers alike.
What Is Agile Coretime?
Polkadot is evolving, and so is Astar.
Think of Agile Coretime like a cloud subscription, similar to how companies pay monthly for services like AWS or Google Cloud. Instead of committing to a long, expensive lease, Astar can now purchase what it needs, when it needs it. Before, blockspace (our access to Polkadot’s network) was only available through big auctions every two years. That system worked in the past, but it wasn’t very flexible or efficient.
Agile Coretime lets Astar buy execution time, known as “coretime”, in two simple ways:
- Bulk Coretime (Monthly Access)
- Think of it like a monthly plan.
- It gives Astar consistent access for 28 days at a time.
- Ideal for active, growing chains like ours.
- On-Demand Coretime (Pay-As-You-Go)
- Purchased block-by-block when needed.
- Perfect for new or smaller chains with irregular traffic.
- Acquired through real-time bidding.
Agile Coretime makes Polkadot, and Astar, more dynamic, scalable, and user-friendly.
Why Is Astar Switching to Agile Coretime?
Since its launch on Polkadot, Astar has relied on a system called the parachain lease, a model where we had to win a slot through crowdloan auctions in order to secure our place on the network.
This worked in the early days, but now that our lease is set to expire in August 2025, it’s time to evolve. The old system, while important at the beginning of Polkadot, brings a lot of friction and uncertainty, especially for a growing ecosystem like Astar.
What were the problems with the old model?
- High Costs: Renewing our lease meant running expensive crowdloan campaigns, requiring huge capital upfront.
- Inflexibility: The lease terms were fixed and hard to adapt to changing needs.
- Uncertainty: Every renewal brought risk, what if we didn’t win the auction?
Why Agile Coretime is better for Astar
Now, we’re transitioning to Agile Coretime, a smarter and more modern way to access Polkadot’s blockspace (the resource that keeps our network live and running).
Here’s why it’s a better fit for Astar and our community:
- No more auctions: Astar can buy “coretime” directly, like a monthly subscription.
- Automatic renewals (coming soon): Optional feature to avoid downtime or interruptions. We’re working to enable this as soon as possible.
- More flexibility: We can scale our usage based on actual demand.
- Secure by design: We still benefit from Polkadot’s validator-backed security.
- Aligned with Polkadot 2.0: We adopt cutting-edge upgrades like Async Backing and Elastic Scaling.
Step-by-Step Implementation for Astar
To support the switch to the Agile Coretime model, Astar will execute a two-step governance process aimed at enabling optional auto-renewals for our already secured coretime.
While Astar currently holds a core slot via the legacy parachain lease model, this lease now requires manual renewal every 28 days. The following steps will allow us to automate these renewals to ensure greater resilience and minimize the risk of downtime in case of missed manual renewals.
Step 1: Connect to the Coretime Chain
A dedicated communication channel will be established between Astar and the Coretime Chain, Polkadot’s new system chain for managing execution time.
This connection, known as an HRMP channel, allows both networks to communicate securely and sets the foundation for enabling automated coretime management.
Step 2: Enable Auto-Renewals (Optional)
Once the channel is active, we’ll proceed with a governance referendum that will send an XCM message using Astar’s sovereign account on the Coretime Chain to enable auto-renewals.
This optional feature will allow automatic renewal of Astar’s coretime without the need for repeated manual actions or additional governance votes, reducing the risk of lease expiration or unexpected interruptions.
The entire process will be funded using DOT held by the Astar Financial Committee (AFC), ensuring secure and transparent execution.
Financial Governance and Treasury Strategy
The Astar Financial Committee (AFC) will play a critical role and oversee the acquisition and management of Coretime:
- Utilize treasury strategies (staking, yield-bearing instruments) to generate and optimize DOT reserves.
- Automate monthly Bulk Coretime purchases through the Coretime Chain broker pallet.
- Maintain contingency reserves to hedge against price volatility or sudden demand shifts.
To prevent downtime from missed manual renewals, Astar is enabling auto-renewals through a one-time XCM Root call.
This setup allows Astar’s sovereign account on the Coretime system chain to automatically purchase blockspace every 28 days, as long as sufficient DOT is available, ensuring continuity without requiring repeated governance actions.
Strategic Impact for Astar and the Ecosystem
Switching to Agile Coretime, Astar is proactively aligning with the architectural direction of Polkadot 2.0. This upgrade not only modernizes Astar’s execution layer but also reaffirms its commitment to decentralization, sustainability, and technical excellence inside Polkadot. Benefits include:
- Automated lease renewals with zero downtime risk.
- Capital efficiency no more costly crowdloans.
- Developer-friendly UX no operational disruptions, just uninterrupted building.
- Seamless integration with Polkadot innovations, such as Async Backing, Elastic Scaling, and XCM upgrades.
- Governance-led autonomy, ensuring decentralized control and transparency.
It also opens the door to future enhancements like Core Jam, Elastic Cores, and core auctions-as-a-service, all of which Astar will be compatible in the future.
Looking Ahead: Astar’s Commitment to the Future of Polkadot
From Async Backing in June to Agile Coretime in Q3, Astar continues to evolve in adopting critical Polkadot advancements. We are not only consumers of this technology, we are active builders shaping its future.
This proposal marks a milestone in our roadmap toward a scalable, decentralized, and interoperable Web3, reinforcing our mission to empower developers and serve millions of users across the multichain landscape.
Let’s continue building… together. Thank you for your trust and belief in Astar. 
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