New York, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Thunderbolt, a ground-breaking upgrade to the Bitcoin base layer, was officially launched on April 15. This significant innovation is the collaborative brainchild of Satoshi-era miners, Bitcoin whales, and early Bitcoin contributors, including the Nubit team. The Thunderbolt upgrade has ushered in the most consequential technical changes in Bitcoin’s history over the last decade.
The primary features of this upgrade are UTXO Bundling and the OP_CAT opcode. UTXO Bundling enhances onchain throughput by compressing transactional data, while the OP_CAT opcode brings Bitcoin programmability to the forefront. The Bitcoin community has warmly welcomed this launch, with many long-time miners and users expressing that it addresses long-standing issues of Bitcoin.
An established Bitcoin miner, with nearly a decade’s experience, shared, “I’ve been tracking this technological advancement since last year. I never thought it would materialize this quickly. Seeing a live soft fork is like witnessing the dawn of a new Bitcoin era.”
To utilize Thunderbolt, users require a Boosting Code, an exclusive invitation extended through qualified partners and communities. These Boosting Codes grant users early access and the opportunity to earn rare Bitcoin rewards. Nubit, a key contributor to the project, is facilitating early access via its community channels, where users can apply for Boosting Codes. The inaugural round has been fully claimed, and upcoming rounds are set to be even more competitive.
Thunderbolt is swiftly becoming the de facto Bitcoin standard, thanks to the collective endeavors of miners, Bitcoin core developers, and early adopters who envision a bright future for Bitcoin. Transactions are instant, and the network operates seamlessly on Bitcoin Core. This upgrade transforms Bitcoin into a faster, user-friendly, and practical option for real-world applications.
The Thunderbolt upgrade has also piqued the interest of institutions. One success story comes from a mining pool, primarily serving retailers, which experienced a significant increase in its hashrate from 800 TH/s to 16.97 EH/s after implementing Bitcoin Thunderbolt. This leap positioned it among the top ten global pools. As the adoption rate increases, Bitcoin Thunderbolt is defining a new technical benchmark for Bitcoin usage, development, and scalability.
