Cardano’s strength lies in its decentralization. However, as the ecosystem grows, there is an increasing reliance on cloud-based infrastructure, which poses serious long-term risks to network resilience, censorship resistance, and the foundational vision of Cardano.

The CLYDE Stake Pool was established on February 2, 2022, in Boulder, Colorado with a mission to support Cardano’s decentralization through the operation of a true bare-metal, independently hosted node. Unlike many pools that operate from cloud providers, CLYDE runs on physical servers with redundant cable and fiber internet backbones—eliminating single points of failure tied to third-party providers.

Despite running consistently for over three years, CLYDE has minted only eight blocks. This lack of block production, paired with the operational costs of running high-quality bare-metal infrastructure, has made continued operation financially unsustainable. To date, the pool has been maintained at a personal financial loss, driven by a belief in Cardano’s mission rather than financial return.

This proposal seeks 500,000 ADA in funding to:

• Upgrade and maintain the bare-metal servers and network infrastructure.
• Continue to operate an independent, geographically distinct, and professionally managed Cardano stake pool.
• Reinforce Cardano’s decentralization by supporting true community-run infrastructure outside centralized cloud environments.

Impact on the Cardano Community: Funding CLYDE represents a direct investment into Cardano’s decentralization and future resilience. It ensures that independent operators can survive in an ecosystem where economics favor large, multi-pool, often cloud-hosted operations. The Cardano community benefits from a stronger, more censorship-resistant network with diverse operational nodes across different geographies and internet backbones.

The return on investment is the preservation and reinforcement of Cardano’s core principle—decentralization—which underpins everything from network security and governance to future innovation. By supporting CLYDE, the community supports a more independent, resilient, and sustainable Cardano.

This proposal addresses the growing centralization risk within the Cardano network caused by the increasing dominance of cloud-based stake pools. While cloud providers offer convenience, over-reliance on them introduces significant vulnerabilities, including censorship risk, single points of failure, and reduced network resilience.

By securing funding to upgrade and continue operating the CLYDE stake pool—a true bare-metal operation located in Boulder, Colorado—this proposal reinforces the decentralization and security principles that Cardano was founded on. Despite running since February 2022 with minimal block rewards (8 blocks lifetime), CLYDE has remained live, independently maintained, and financially sustained by the operator at a personal loss, highlighting a critical sustainability challenge for small, truly decentralized pools.

Without support, independent bare-metal pools like CLYDE will continue to shut down, increasing centralization risk across the network. This proposal ensures that a genuinely decentralized stake pool not only survives but thrives as part of Cardano’s long-term vision.

Funding the upgrade and continued operation of the CLYDE bare-metal stake pool would directly strengthen Cardano’s decentralization, resilience, and long-term sustainability. The key benefits include:

Enhanced Network Decentralization: By maintaining a non-cloud-based, independently operated node, this proposal protects against central points of failure and promotes a more geographically and infrastructurally diverse network topology.

Increased Network Resilience: Bare-metal pools with redundant cable and fiber internet connections, like CLYDE, add robustness against outages, censorship, and dependency on third-party cloud providers.

Support for Cardano’s Core Values: Cardano’s vision is built on decentralization. Funding CLYDE aligns directly with these values, ensuring independent operators can remain viable contributors to the network without relying solely on block rewards that heavily favor larger pools.

Long-Term Value to the Ecosystem: Investing in bare-metal infrastructure now avoids higher risks and potential costs in the future associated with cloud reliance, such as service disruptions, regulatory pressure, or monopolistic behaviors.

The return on investment is a more secure, decentralized, and censorship-resistant Cardano blockchain, which benefits all community members—from developers and projects to ADA holders and future users. It helps ensure that Cardano remains true to its foundational principles, safeguarding its competitive edge in an increasingly centralized blockchain landscape.

This proposal will deliver a fully upgraded and professionally maintained bare-metal Cardano stake pool operated independently of cloud services. Key milestones include: procurement and deployment of new server hardware; upgrading network infrastructure with dual-redundant internet connections; securing and hardening systems against downtime and security threats; and continuous 24/7 monitoring and maintenance. The Cardano community will receive a strengthened, decentralized network through the preservation of a true bare-metal operator. This investment directly supports Cardano’s resilience, decentralization, and independence, ensuring that the network remains secure and censorship-resistant. It also sets an example encouraging more operators to maintain non-cloud infrastructure, supporting the ecosystem's long-term health.

Requested Amount: 500,000 ADA (~$250,000 USD at $0.50/ADA)

-Milestone 1: Hardware and Infrastructure Upgrade

40,000 ADA (~$20,000 USD) Procurement of upgraded bare-metal servers, enterprise networking equipment, power redundancy (UPS), and security infrastructure.

-Milestone 2: Network Redundancy Implementation

40,000 ADA (~$20,000 USD)

Deployment of dual fiber+cable ISP connections, router configuration, firewall setup, and full failover testing to ensure 24/7 uptime.

-Milestone 3: 24-Month Operational Support and Maintenance

400,000 ADA (~$200,000 USD)

Cover fees, ISP contracts, electricity costs, hardware maintenance, system upgrades, server monitoring, and security patches over two years.

-Milestone 4: Community Engagement, Reporting, and Delegation Growth

20,000 ADA (~$10,000 USD)

Ongoing community updates, transparent operational reporting, marketing efforts to grow delegation, and educational content about bare-metal pool operation.

Total: 500,000 ADA (~$250,000 USD)

The team size for this proposal is one experienced operator, who has independently managed the CLYDE Stake Pool since its inception in 2022. No external contractors or developers are required. Upon receipt of funding, procurement and infrastructure upgrades are estimated to take approximately 6 weeks, depending on hardware availability and delivery timelines. Full deployment, configuration, and operational testing will be completed within 8 weeks from funding. Ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and network participation will continue indefinitely after the initial upgrade phase.

I have been involved in the cryptocurrency space since Bitcoin's first year of release, giving me over a decade of direct blockchain experience. Professionally, I have worked as a full-stack developer for over 20 years, specializing in system architecture, server administration, network engineering, and cybersecurity. I have operated the CLYDE Stake Pool independently since its launch in February 2022, managing all aspects of its bare-metal infrastructure and node operations. In addition, I was responsible for the development and launch of one of the original memecoins on the Cardano blockchain and served as the lead developer for an NFT project focused on bringing an individual artist's work onto the blockchain. This combination of deep crypto involvement, professional technical expertise, and successful blockchain project delivery ensures I am fully qualified to upgrade and maintain the CLYDE Stake Pool to benefit the Cardano community.

After the initial upgrades, the CLYDE Stake Pool will continue to be operated and maintained by the original operator who has managed it since 2022. The upgraded infrastructure will reduce future maintenance costs and improve reliability. The operator will provide 24/7 monitoring, regular software and hardware updates, and ongoing network management. Any additional operating costs beyond the funding will be personally covered until the pool achieves greater delegation and becomes self-sustaining through rewards. Continued community engagement and marketing efforts will help support long-term growth. This proposal ensures that CLYDE remains a reliable, independent, bare-metal stake pool contributing to Cardano’s decentralization for years to come.

The CLYDE Stake Pool upgrade and continued operation are relatively self-contained but rely on a few critical dependencies to ensure successful implementation:

Timely Access to Funding: The ability to initiate hardware upgrades, enhance networking infrastructure, and cover ongoing operational costs is contingent on the timely receipt of the requested 500,000 ADA funding.

Availability of Hardware Components: Procurement of necessary server hardware, networking equipment (e.g., enterprise-grade routers, switches), and redundancy infrastructure is subject to supply chain availability and delivery timelines.

Internet Service Reliability: The pool's operation depends on the continued availability and performance of dual redundant internet connections (cable + fiber) from local ISPs. Ongoing ISP service contracts and redundancy planning will mitigate potential disruptions.

Network and Protocol Stability: Successful upgrades and maintenance are dependent on the stability and ongoing evolution of Cardano node software, as well as compatibility with future Cardano protocol updates.

Community and Ecosystem Support: Broader support from the Cardano community for the importance of bare-metal operations is a secondary dependency that will help increase visibility and promote delegations, ensuring long-term sustainability after the funding period.

There are no external vendors, contractors, or partnerships required outside of hardware suppliers and local service providers. Once funding is received, the operator is prepared to begin execution immediately.