Input Output will transfer Cardano's core blockchain infrastructure to external specialist firms from August, with the handover running through 2027. ADA rose about 2% as the network prepares for the Van Rossem hard fork, though technical indicators still point lower.
Input Output is giving up direct control of Cardano's core software. The company announced on Friday that it will hand the Haskell node, Plutus smart-contract platform, Daedalus wallet, and Hydra scaling technology to outside specialist firms, starting in August.
Who takes over the code
The firms stepping in include Se7en Labs, a development agency with a Solana infrastructure background, and Teragone, a cryptographic research team that already leads development of Mithril, Cardano's stake-based signature protocol. At least three independent node implementations in Haskell, Rust, and Go will run in parallel, overseen by community bodies Intersect and Pragma.
Founder Charles Hoskinson framed the move as the final push of the Voltaire era, the governance and decentralization phase Cardano has pursued since 2024. In the IOGroup announcement, Hoskinson said: "Our partners are ready, and the ecosystem now has many diverse options". Input Output will now shift toward research and new ventures through IO Labs and IO Ventures.
Van Rossem hard fork goes live
Cardano is also preparing a hard fork. The Van Rossem upgrade goes live on mainnet on July 18 at 21:44 UTC, taking Cardano to Protocol Version 11. It was ratified on July 13 with 77.63% approval from delegated community representatives and adds new Plutus built-in functions meant to cut smart contract execution costs.
ADA, Cardano's token, is up about 2% on the day near $0.165, giving it a $6 billion market capitalization. Open interest in ADA futures sits around $193 million, with a long-to-short ratio of 2.84, meaning most traders are still positioned for a rise.
What the charts show
On the charts, the picture is weaker. ADA has not matched its 2024 highs near $1.20 and has been grinding lower since August 2025, with the 50-week exponential moving average below the 200-week.
The Relative Strength Index measures momentum on a scale from zero to 100. ADA's reading sits at 34, below the 30 mark that signals oversold conditions, while the Average Directional Index points to a strong bearish long-term trend.
That said, ADA has surprised traders before. If Van Rossem delivers on its promised cost cuts and the Leios upgrade arrives on schedule, holders could see upside.
Source: Yahoo Finance
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