Solana (SOL) climbed above $110 on Sept. 18 after the network activated its 250-millisecond slot-time upgrade on mainnet, cutting the target slot time from 300ms and raising the network clock to four slots per second. The activation went live at epoch 1037 at approximately 05:06 UTC and represents the latest stage of SIMD-0525, Solana's phased effort to reduce target slot times from 400ms toward 200ms, as reported by SolanaFloor on X.

The upgrade coincided with stronger SOL market momentum and sustained institutional demand. SOL traded as high as roughly $112 after starting the day near $101.6. Analyst Ali Martinez said more than 40 million SOL had previously changed hands around the $100 mark, and U.S. spot Solana ETFs have recorded nine consecutive weeks of net inflows. On Martinez's longer-term chart, $360 stands as the breakout level that must be cleared before a projected move toward $1,300 becomes relevant.

Solana Cuts Mainnet Slot Time to 250ms

Solana activated the 250ms slot target on September 18 under SIMD-0525, the third stage of a plan to reduce slot times from 400ms to 200ms. The new setting lifts the network's targeted slot rate from about 3.3 per second to four per second, leaving each slot roughly 37.5% shorter than the original 400ms setting. Validators still lead for four consecutive slots, but each leader window now lasts about one second instead of 1.2 seconds, down from 1.6 seconds at 400ms.

Shorter slots give wallets, exchanges, and trading applications more frequent updates on network activity. They also shorten the time between validator handoffs and can reduce the waiting period between transaction submission and network processing. The change does not raise Solana's processing ceiling by the same 17% rate — the proportional reduction in slot length as the target moves from 300ms to 250ms — because the protocol cuts computation and data limits as slot duration falls.

Upgrade Moves Solana Toward the 200ms Target

SIMD-0525 uses four stages, set at 350ms, 300ms, 250ms and 200ms. Solana developers designed the rollout so validators can operate under each setting before the network activates the next step. At 250ms, the compute limit falls to 37.5 million units per slot from the 60 million-unit baseline used in the proposal, a per-slot reduction of about 37.5% that accompanies the faster clock.

The faster clock also shortens epoch duration. Solana keeps each epoch at 432,000 slots, so the expected epoch length falls from about 36 hours at 300ms to roughly 30 hours at 250ms, compared with about 48 hours under the original 400ms setting. A future move to 200ms would cut that figure to about 24 hours and raise the target rate to five slots per second. Developers have not announced a mainnet date for the final stage, making the 200ms activation the next network milestone to watch. The slot change forms part of Agave 4.2, which also introduces other network features through separate activation gates.

SOL Holds Major Cost-Basis Zone Near $100

Solana price recently fell from $101.36 to $95.84 during a broader market pullback, according to Martinez (@alicharts on X). His on-chain data shows more than 40 million SOL changed hands around the $100 area, creating a closely watched cost-basis zone, while a separate URPD chart places one of the largest supply concentrations around $100.30. The day's move above $110 leaves SOL trading above that concentrated cost-basis area rather than inside it.

Demand data adds another factor around that level. Martinez says U.S. spot Solana ETFs have recorded nine straight weeks of net inflows, with more than $200 million entering the products over the past month, a streak spanning just over two months. His ETF chart also shows the strongest weekly inflow arriving in late August. Network growth has stayed elevated after new Solana addresses reached about 12 million on September 11 and later held near 10.8 million per day.

Technical Outlook Maps $1,300 on a Confirmed Breakout

The longer-term Solana price projection centers on a possible cup-and-handle structure on the weekly chart, which Martinez shared on X. He places the pattern's neckline near $360, well above the current market area. The setup does not confirm unless SOL breaks and holds above that level, which makes $360 the technical trigger on his chart rather than the current target.

If SOL confirms that breakout, Martinez maps a potential expansion toward roughly $1,300. The weekly chart also marks intermediate reference levels around $155, $235, $360 and $600 before the higher projection.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Network upgrades, ETF flows, on-chain activity and technical price targets do not guarantee future SOL performance.

This article was originally published by The Market Periodical.