On November 21, 2024, Sui Network, a decentralized layer-1 blockchain, experienced a significant setback when it suspended block production for more than two hours. The outage, which began about 9:15 a.m. UTC, rendered the network unworkable, with no new blocks issued during the downtime. The disruption was severe enough that the South Korean exchange Upbit momentarily stopped SUI token deposits and withdrawals.
The SUI token, which had been gaining traction in recent weeks, plummeted about 11% during the outage. However, it immediately recovered, trading near its pre-downtime value of $3.60.
The Sui Foundation responded to the situation by informing the public about the issue and assuring users that a solution was in the works. A fault in the transaction scheduling mechanism led to the failure of the network’s validators, causing the outage. We quickly fixed this fault, and after a two-hour downtime, the network was fully operational.
Sui’s network has previously experienced minor troubles on its testnet, but this was the first severe outage on the mainnet since its inception in May 2023. Despite this, analysts said the swift repair of the problem was a positive indicator for the platform’s dependability.
Sui’s challenge remains to prove itself as a credible competitor to Solana, sometimes known as the “Solana killer.” While Sui’s market value is significantly lower than Solana’s $116 billion, it has witnessed significant developer activity, establishing it as a possible competitor in the future.
