Tech Talk: Malbec Labs

A revolutionary network infrastructure is quietly transforming how Solana operates, and the results are nothing short of remarkable. Double Zero, the decentralized high-performance network built by Malbec Labs, has already onboarded 40% of Solana validators and is delivering latency improvements that could fundamentally change the economics of blockchain transactions.

Summary

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At Breakpoint 2025, Ben Marx, representing Malbec Labs, unveiled impressive performance data from Double Zero's mainnet beta, which launched in October. The network represents a paradigm shift in how blockchain infrastructure operates—moving away from the unpredictable public internet toward a purpose-built, decentralized private network that prioritizes both speed and consistency.

The presentation demonstrated that Double Zero isn't just about raw speed improvements; it's about control and predictability. While transactions on the public internet can take over 1.5 seconds in worst-case scenarios, Double Zero users can land transactions in approximately 500 milliseconds even at the worst times. This consistency allows traders and validators to make better decisions with more reliable information.

Perhaps most groundbreaking is Double Zero's implementation of multicast technology—something that simply cannot exist on the public internet. Tests conducted with Jito Labs showed multicast improvements of up to 16 milliseconds compared to unicast delivery, with Frankfurt seeing particularly dramatic gains. This technology, borrowed from the playbook of high-frequency trading firms, is now being democratized for the entire Solana ecosystem.

The network uses a sophisticated reward system based on Shapley values, which incentivizes quality contributions. Unlike traditional ISPs that engage in a "race to the bottom" on pricing, Double Zero creates a "race to the top" where better performance generates better rewards, creating a virtuous cycle of network improvement.

Key Points:

The Double Zero Architecture and Decentralization Philosophy

Double Zero represents a fundamental challenge to 20-30 years of internet consolidation, monopolization, and conglomeration. The protocol, conceived from a white paper created in December 2024, is built on the principle that decentralized collaboration can achieve what individual actors cannot accomplish alone.

The architecture centers on two critical components: serviceability and telemetry. The serviceability program defines the entire network topology—locations, exchanges, links, latencies, jitter, bandwidth, and more. The telemetry system pulls data from both the private network and compares it against public internet performance. All this data lives on-chain in Double Zero's own DZ ledger, completely transparent and accessible to anyone who wants to verify the network's claims. This commitment to transparency extends to public metrics displayed on their website.

Performance Metrics: Speed and Control

Marx emphasized that latency reduction alone isn't sufficient—what matters equally is control. "Latency without control, you get a lot of jitter and it makes predictions that much harder," he explained. The combination of speed and control is what Double Zero defines as true performance.

Real-world data from an RPC provider demonstrated this dramatically. While P50 (median) latency remained relatively stable across public and private networks, the P95 and P99 latencies told a different story. These tail latencies represent where economic value is truly generated and lost. On the public internet, worst-case transaction times exceeded 1.5 seconds. On Double Zero, even the worst scenarios stayed around 500 milliseconds—a threefold improvement that translates directly into better economic outcomes for users.

Multicast Technology: Shrinking the World

The most technically significant advancement Double Zero offers is multicast capability. This technology, which cannot exist on the public internet, allows a single packet to be intelligently replicated throughout the network simultaneously. As Andrew from RCT Labs noted, "multicast is just a different destination IP"—but the implications are profound.

The presentation illustrated this with a visualization comparing unicast (sequential delivery to different locations) versus multicast (simultaneous delivery everywhere). When Frankfurt serves as a leader, unicast requires hopping through Amsterdam, London, across to the US, and back—a time-consuming sequential process. With multicast, the packet broadcasts everywhere at once, limited only by the physics of light traveling through fiber.

Jito Labs Integration and Real-World Testing

A case study with Jito Labs demonstrated multicast's practical benefits for shred stream delivery. In the traditional unicast model, Jito's Solana node sends shreds to turbine, which Amsterdam workers then approximate into multicast-like distribution—an inefficient workaround for a public internet limitation.

With Double Zero integration, the architecture simplifies dramatically. A single packet enters the Double Zero private network, gets intelligently replicated throughout, and emerges at shred stream proxies worldwide. Testing revealed Tokyo and Frankfurt both saw substantial improvements, with Frankfurt experiencing gains exceeding 16 milliseconds in many cases. Even accounting for instances where public internet proved faster, the P75 and P99 improvements overwhelmingly favored Double Zero multicast.

Network Monitoring and Quality Assurance

Double Zero has developed sophisticated monitoring tools to understand network behavior in real-time. The dashboard displays link overviews, health drift measurements, telemetry status, and identifies issues like drift across various links. Marx noted that having 16 links showing drift might seem concerning at first glance, but argued it's actually positive—the visibility allows proactive resolution of issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.

This approach of continuous monitoring and improvement feeds into the Shapley value reward system. Contributors are rewarded based on how much worse the network would be without their participation, creating incentives that continuously drive quality upward rather than racing prices downward.

Facts + Figures

• Double Zero mainnet beta launched in October 2025
• Approximately 40% of Solana validators are currently on the Double Zero network
• Worst-case transaction landing time on Double Zero is approximately 500 milliseconds versus over 1.5 seconds on public internet
• Frankfurt testing showed multicast improvements of more than 16 milliseconds compared to unicast
• The original Double Zero white paper was created in December 2024
• All network data is stored on-chain in the DZ ledger and publicly accessible
• Network rewards are calculated using Shapley values to incentivize quality
• The protocol leverages technologies that have been tested for 20-30 years by major tech firms and trading companies
• Multicast technology is currently impossible to implement on the public internet
• Integration with Double Zero multicast requires only changing a destination IP address

Top quotes

• "Performance is speed and control."

• "Latency without control, you get a lot of jitter and it makes predictions that much harder."

• "If you're on double zero and you want to land a transaction, you can do that in maybe at the worst, about 500 milliseconds. But then on the public internet, it's over a second, maybe a second and a half."

• "The ISPs have a race to the bottom. We have a race to the top. Quality generates quality."

• "Multicast does not exist and cannot exist on the public internet."

• "As Andrew RCTL likes to say, multicast is just a different destination IP."

• "This is technology that has existed for a long time. There's hybrid registry trading firms who've been using this to reap these benefits for many, many years."

• "While physics can't be beaten on double zero, you can shrink the world."

• "I would actually argue, in fact, that is very good. Because now we have the data to be able to understand that we have this issue in the system."

• "This also flies in the face of basically everything that's happened over the last 20 to 30 years in terms of consolidation, in terms of monopolization and conglomeration."

Questions Answered

What is Double Zero and who is building it?

Double Zero is a decentralized high-performance network protocol being built by Malbec Labs. The project originated from a white paper created in December 2024 and represents an alternative to the public internet for blockchain infrastructure. The network is specifically designed to provide faster, more reliable connectivity for blockchain validators and other users who need consistent, low-latency connections. Malbec Labs has positioned Double Zero as a counter to decades of internet consolidation and monopolization, offering a collaborative approach where participants can build something together that they couldn't achieve individually.

How much faster is Double Zero compared to the public internet?

Real-world testing shows Double Zero can land transactions in approximately 500 milliseconds in worst-case scenarios, compared to over 1.5 seconds on the public internet—roughly a threefold improvement. However, the benefits aren't just about raw speed. The P95 and P99 latencies (representing the slowest 5% and 1% of transactions) show dramatically reduced variability on Double Zero. This consistency means users can make more reliable predictions about transaction timing, which Marx notes is where significant economic value is generated. The reduced jitter effectively gives users better information for making trading and timing decisions.

What is multicast and why does it matter for Solana?

Multicast is a networking technology that allows a single data packet to be intelligently replicated and delivered to multiple destinations simultaneously, rather than being sent sequentially to each destination (unicast). This technology cannot exist on the public internet but is available through Double Zero's private network. For Solana, multicast dramatically improves shred stream delivery—the process by which block data is distributed across the network. Testing with Jito Labs showed improvements of up to 16 milliseconds, with the technology particularly beneficial for geographically distant validators who would otherwise wait longer for sequential delivery.

How does Double Zero incentivize network quality?

Double Zero uses Shapley values to calculate rewards for network contributors. Shapley values measure how much worse the network would perform if a particular contributor wasn't participating. This creates a "race to the top" dynamic where quality generates rewards, contrasting with traditional ISPs' "race to the bottom" on pricing. Contributors are motivated to maintain high-quality connections because their rewards directly reflect their positive impact on overall network performance. This economic design ensures the network continuously improves as contributors compete to add the most value.

How many Solana validators are using Double Zero?

As of the Breakpoint 2025 presentation, approximately 40% of Solana validators have joined the Double Zero network. This represents significant adoption for a mainnet beta that only launched in October 2025. The network serves validators as its primary users, though the architecture supports multiple tenants—Solana is the first but not necessarily the only blockchain that could utilize the infrastructure.

What makes Double Zero different from existing internet infrastructure?

Double Zero is a decentralized private network specifically designed for high-performance blockchain applications. Unlike the public internet, it offers capabilities like multicast that are physically impossible on public infrastructure. The network is also built with complete transparency—all serviceability and telemetry data is stored on-chain in the DZ ledger and available for anyone to verify. This represents a philosophical and technical departure from centralized internet infrastructure, using proven technologies from high-frequency trading and major tech companies but making them accessible to blockchain participants.

How difficult is it to integrate with Double Zero's multicast?

According to the presentation, integration is remarkably simple. As Andrew from RCT Labs put it, "multicast is just a different destination IP." For applications like Jito's shred stream, adding Double Zero multicast means sending packets to an additional destination address. The Double Zero network handles the intelligent replication internally, and packets emerge at proxies on the other side. This simplicity is by design—Malbec Labs deliberately chose to build on technologies that have been tested and proven over 20-30 years rather than inventing new approaches.