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Gen-1 Node Provider onboarding Gen-2 node machines

How an existing Gen-1 node provider can register and onboard Gen-2 node machines — the proposal flow, identity step, and topology limits that apply.

·May 4, 2026·2 min read

Gen-1 node providers already have a node provider principal, and so — when onboarding Gen-2 hardware — they can directly initiate data center proposals and node operator record proposals for their candidate node machines. To allow the community to validate those proposals, follow the steps below.

  1. Submit the self-declaration. As a Gen-1 node provider, you have not previously submitted the self-declaration and proof-of-identity documents. Follow the Node Provider Self-Declaration process and introduce yourself on the forum thread for node providers as a Gen-1 node provider who intends to become a Gen-2 node provider.
  2. Identify yourself in each proposal. Depending on the original onboarding process you went through as a Gen-1 node provider, your neuron ID may not be immediately verifiable or recognizable to the community. When submitting data center proposals or node operator proposals, clearly state in each proposal your node provider name and the external dashboard link to your node provider information (including your existing Gen-1 node machines).
  3. Follow the standard onboarding steps. For onboarding the nodes themselves, follow the data center proposal (if applicable) and node operator proposals as described on the Node Provider Onboarding page.

Topology limits

[!WARNING] With the introduction of the network's target topology and the optimization tooling that validates the contribution of candidate nodes (see node diversification part 1, node diversification part 2, and proposals 125367 and 125549), there are limits on the number of node machines per node provider, per data center, and per country. Before proposing to add new candidate node machines to the network, run the validation process for candidate nodes, and be aware that a maximum of 42 node machines can be onboarded per node provider.

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