---
title: "Radix Labs"
url: "https://radix.wiki/ecosystem/radix-labs"
version: "1.4.2"
updated: 2026-08-03
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
---

# Radix Labs

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| **Type** | Core Protocol Research & Development |
| **Parent** | [Radix Foundation](https://www.radixdlt.com/labs) |
| **Status** | Active |
| **Predecessor** | [RDX Works](/ecosystem/rdx-works) |
| **Focus** | [Xi'an](/contents/tech/releases/radix-mainnet-xian) upgrade, [Hyperscale](/contents/tech/research/hyperscale-rs) sharding |
| **Target** | Xi'an Alpha early 2027; full launch H2 2027 |

## Overview

**Radix Labs** is the research and development division of the [Radix Foundation](https://www.radixdlt.com/labs), and the successor development entity to [RDX Works](/ecosystem/rdx-works), continuing core protocol development for the [Radix network](https://www.radixdlt.com). Its stated mission is to deliver the [Xi'an protocol upgrade](/contents/tech/releases/radix-mainnet-xian) – the fully sharded mainnet that brings linear scalability to production without sacrificing atomic composability.

Xi'an's consensus design is the fully sharded [Cerberus](/contents/tech/core-protocols/cerberus-consensus-protocol) protocol, building on the earlier Cassandra research prototype. In parallel, the community-led [hyperscale-rs](/contents/tech/research/hyperscale-rs) initiative has emerged as the leading production candidate, diverging from Cerberus toward a HotStuff-2–derived per-shard consensus. Radix Labs coordinates with the [Radix Accountability Council](/ecosystem/radix-accountability-council) on protocol governance.

## Roadmap

According to the official [Radix Labs roadmap](https://www.radixdlt.com/blog/radix-labs-roadmap---to-hyperscale-and-beyond), the Xi'an track targets an **Alpha release in early 2027**, a **Beta later in 2027**, and a **full launch in the second half of 2027**. A large part of the work is reimplementing the protocol entirely in [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org), moving away from the Java-based hybrid stack of [Babylon](/contents/tech/releases/radix-mainnet-babylon), and hardening the consensus mechanism into a production network candidate.

The current live network is [Babylon](/contents/tech/releases/radix-mainnet-babylon) (2023–present), which delivered smart contracts and dApps via [Scrypto](/contents/tech/core-protocols/scrypto-programming-language). Xi'an is the next major milestone on the path to [Hyperscale](/contents/tech/research/hyperscale-rs)-grade linear scalability.

## External Links

- [Radix Labs – official page](https://www.radixdlt.com/labs)
- [Radix Labs Roadmap – To Hyperscale and Beyond (blog)](https://www.radixdlt.com/blog/radix-labs-roadmap---to-hyperscale-and-beyond)