Input Output announced the next stage of Cardano’s decentralisation, handing ownership to a wider network of specialist partners.
Input Output (IO) has announced the next stage of Cardano’s decentralisation, extending ownership of core infrastructure to a growing network of specialist partner teams.
Having already decentralised its protocol and governance, Cardano is now decentralising how the network itself is built, moving core components such as the Haskell node, Plutus, Daedalus, Hydra, and developer experience out of IO’s direct control and into the hands of independent teams, including named partners Se7en Labs and Teragone.
The process, underway since 2024, is set to conclude in 2027 with several independent firms maintaining at least three Cardano implementations in Haskell, Rust, and Go, alongside a complete set of formal specifications overseen by member-based organisations including Intersect and Pragma and subject to community review and vote.
Key dates
| Date | Milestone |
| 17 July 2026 | Decentralisation website goes live |
| August — December 2026 | Transition to the Haskell node, Plutus, Hydra, and DevRel |
| January 2027 onwards | IO Labs and IO Ventures brands come fully into effect as partners |
Public repositories and Intersect governance are intended to keep the transition transparent and accountable as specialist partners take on delivery of core infrastructure, a shift IO says strengthens the case for community-led treasury funding while allowing the organisation to deepen its focus on research and venture creation.
The announcement is accompanied by a cinematic film marking the moment, alongside a new website tracking the transition. Partner transition milestones for the Haskell node, Plutus, Hydra, and DevRel will be announced in stages between August and December 2026, with the IO Labs and IO Ventures brands coming fully into effect from January 2027 onward as partners lead their own milestone announcements.
Charles Hoskinson said: “The last stage of the Voltaire era is full decentralisation of node and reference blueprint development. I’m extremely proud that we have arrived at the final stage with IO Labs spinning out the Haskell Node to community curation and control. Our partners are ready and the ecosystem now has many diverse options.”
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