Sui, a layer-1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, has achieved 40.6 million transactions per second (TPS) in a live test of its programmable offchain tunnels. This marks a significant leap from the previous benchmark of approximately 6.1 million TPS recorded during a similar stress test in July.
Live demo breaks blockchain speed barriers
The stress test took place on Wednesday at Sui Basecamp in Singapore, where Sui’s engineering team sought to emulate high-frequency transaction environments, particularly those involving autonomous AI agents. The live demonstration saw offchain transactions processed at a peak rate of 40,614,180 TPS.
According to Sui, over 10,000 programmable offchain tunnels operated on the mainnet during the event. These channels supported a diverse range of activities, including payments, gaming, and chat applications. The tunnels are designed to support workloads that would be impractical for direct blockchain processing due to volume and speed requirements.
Sui’s co-founder and chief product officer, Adeniyi Abiodun, described the intent: “Sui is built for the moment when millions of AI agents are transacting every day.”
Understanding programmable offchain tunnels
Sui’s programmable offchain tunnels are specialized channels enabling users or software agents to execute numerous rapid transactions. Instead of recording every single event onchain, these tunnels batch activity and only settle final states to the blockchain once a tunnel closes. This approach significantly boosts throughput by reducing onchain congestion and lowering network costs.
The test targeted simulations of real-world use cases where hundreds of thousands of autonomous or semi-autonomous AI agents might transact simultaneously. This is a growing focus for blockchain platforms seeking to meet future demand from artificial intelligence applications.
Mini dictionary: Sui programmable offchain tunnels, a scaling technology on the Sui blockchain, allow high-speed batching of transactions off the main blockchain to enhance throughput and efficiency, settling only essential data onchain.
| Test Date | Peak TPS | Type |
|---|---|---|
| July | 6,100,000 | Programmable offchain tunnels |
| Wednesday (Singapore) | 40,614,180 | Programmable offchain tunnels |
Audit and industry oversight
CertiK, a blockchain security firm known for its independent audits, served as the external observer during the demonstration. The company is currently reviewing the technical data gathered during the test and plans to release a verification report in the coming days.
The involvement of CertiK, which acts as an independent auditor across multiple blockchain projects, is intended to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the results presented by Sui during this high-profile benchmark event.
Context and future outlook
Mysten Labs, the primary developer behind Sui, has positioned the platform as a solution for scalability challenges that hinder widespread blockchain adoption, especially in sectors demanding rapid and voluminous transaction processing. By focusing on high-throughput infrastructure, Sui aims to appeal to industries such as artificial intelligence, gaming, and payments, where transaction frequency is critical.
Industry observers are monitoring whether Sui’s offchain scaling strategy can sustain similar performance under broader, decentralized conditions and eventually translate into tangible advantages for end users and developers.
