Epics DAO Validator Supporting ERPC’s Solana SWQoS Node Achieves Two Performance Awards in the Shinobi Performance Pool
Epics DAO Validator Supporting ERPC’s Solana SWQoS Node Achieves Two Performance Awards in the Shinobi Performance Pool
ELSOUL LABO B.V. (Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands; CEO: Fumitake Kawasaki) and Validators DAO announce that the Epics DAO validator has earned two major performance awards, “Best Block Packers” and “Best Vote Gatherers,” in the Solana staking pool known as the Shinobi Performance Pool.
This validator serves as a core node powering the quality of ERPC’s Solana SWQoS Endpoint. The achievement demonstrates that its real-world performance metrics—such as block packing efficiency and vote performance—maintain consistently high levels and have been objectively recognized by an external evaluation framework.
Validator Address: EpicsoqLdDP8qRn3wQRKTSKAXbjK9dUgFfNPRQS77MQD
Shinobi Performance Pool Validator Page: https://xshin.fi/#Validators?pubkey=EpicsoqLdDP8qRn3wQRKTSKAXbjK9dUgFfNPRQS77MQD
Shinobi Performance Pool Validator Page: https://xshin.fi/#Validators?pubkey=EpicsoqLdDP8qRn3wQRKTSKAXbjK9dUgFfNPRQS77MQD
About the Shinobi Performance Pool
The Shinobi Performance Pool evaluates the future of the Solana network through the lens of validator quality. It allocates stake based on on-chain performance metrics, selecting validators that consistently deliver strong technical results.
Shinobi automatically selects approximately the top 100 validators from the thousands operating worldwide, using performance-based criteria. Being selected itself is evidence of high validator performance, and remaining within this group consistently requires sustained technical excellence.
Evaluation metrics include skip rate, average vote latency, compute units per block, vote inclusion in blocks, APY, and other on-chain data points. Rankings are not influenced by commission rates, advertising, or any off-chain incentives. Performance is the sole basis for evaluation.
This approach concentrates stake into high-performance validators, increasing the throughput and stability of the Solana network as a whole. Shinobi Performance Pool focuses on both decentralization and network efficiency and is a deeply data-driven staking protocol.
Shinobi Performance Pool Official Site: https://xshin.fi/#Home
Details of the Two Awards Earned by the Epics DAO Validator
In the latest evaluation, the Epics DAO validator received two distinct awards:
-
Best Block Packers
Awarded to validators that most efficiently utilize compute units per block and consistently achieve strong block-packing performance. -
Best Vote Gatherers
Awarded to validators that include a high number of votes reliably and contribute effectively to Solana’s consensus formation.
Based on the 10-epoch average within the Shinobi Performance Pool, the Epics DAO validator ranks well above both the pool average and the network-wide average in key metrics such as vote latency, skip rate, and vote count.
In addition, the validator continues to remain within the Shinobi pool’s top-tier group, which includes only about 100 validators worldwide. This consistent placement reinforces its long-term performance. The accumulation of these results has culminated in the two performance awards received this time.
Role as a Core Node for ERPC’s SWQoS Endpoint
Stake-weighted Quality of Service (SWQoS) is Solana’s mechanism for prioritizing network traffic. Validators with stake-weighted connections are granted access to a priority lane. Leaders allocate approximately 80% of the bandwidth to the priority lane and about 20% to the non-priority lane, giving the priority lane roughly five times more throughput.
This prioritization occurs before any Priority Fee evaluation. Entering the SWQoS priority lane is therefore the prerequisite for fast and reliable transaction delivery.
The Epics DAO validator serves as the core node supporting the quality of ERPC’s SWQoS Endpoint. The Shinobi evaluation confirms that this validator provides the necessary block-packing and voting performance required for stable and efficient operation in the priority lane.
Future Plans for Shreds Distribution and Stake Expansion
This validator is currently focused on supporting ERPC’s SWQoS Endpoint, but it will also be utilized for Shreds distribution in the future. The initial target for enabling Shreds distribution is approximately 100K SOL in stake. After this milestone, the system will expand gradually based on operational results.
Because SWQoS prioritization depends on stake amount, increasing stake directly strengthens the available priority-lane bandwidth. For this reason, we aim to grow the validator’s stake to over 300K SOL, and ideally toward 500K SOL. A larger stake enables improved performance in transaction sending, Shreds detection, and overall network responsiveness.
Operational Policy of the Epics DAO Validator
The Epics DAO validator is operated under a policy that prioritizes both high performance and maximum user rewards.
- Staking Commission: 0%
- MEV Fees: 0%
All earnings are reinvested into performance research, validator optimization, and infrastructure improvement. The achievement of two performance awards is one of the outcomes of this continuous technical refinement.
elSOL Staking Pool and the Epics DAO Validator
elSOL is a Liquid Staking Token (LST) that redefines Solana staking not only as a reward mechanism but also as a resource controlling network bandwidth under SWQoS. When SOL is staked into the elSOL pool, it is delegated to validators connected to ERPC such as the Epics DAO validator. This directly contributes to the improvement of network performance.
The value of elSOL increases gradually against SOL as staking rewards accumulate. Because elSOL can be redeemed for SOL at any time, it preserves liquidity while continuously earning rewards.
Additionally, validators in the elSOL validator set return 20% of block-reward profits to the elSOL pool. This provides an additional source of incentives compared with traditional single-validator staking.
Staking through elSOL expands SWQoS bandwidth and will strengthen the quality of future Shreds distribution, contributing to overall ERPC performance improvements.
elSOL Staking Pool: https://elsol.app/en/
Challenges Addressed by ERPC, Validators DAO, and elSOL
In standard RPC environments, network congestion, physical distance, and inconsistent throughput can lead to transaction failures and unstable performance. Many infrastructure providers also rely on over-commitment or resource limits, making it difficult for smaller projects to access high-quality networks or top-tier validators.
ERPC, Validators DAO, and elSOL address these challenges through:
- Low-latency zero-distance networking and dedicated links
- The SWQoS Endpoint for reliable, priority-lane transaction delivery
- Aggregation of stake into high-performance validators via elSOL
- A redesigned model where stake functions as a network resource and bandwidth can be allocated and utilized fairly
These initiatives help improve both developer experience and user experience across the Solana ecosystem.
- ERPC: https://erpc.global/en
- SLV: https://slv.dev/en
- elSOL: https://elsol.app/en
- Epics DAO: https://epics.dev/en
- Validators DAO Discord: https://discord.gg/C7ZQSrCkYR
Disclaimer
This article does not constitute financial advice. Staking, Liquid Staking Tokens, and SWQoS-related services involve various risks. Please conduct your own research and make decisions responsibly (NFA / DYOR).
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