David Schwartz, also known as JoelKatz and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Ripple, has announced plans to personally run a high-performance server for the XRP Ledger (XRPL).
Schwartz shared on X that he wants to help improve the XRP Ledger’s infrastructure as network activity continues to grow. Though he’s a Ripple employee, he clarified that this project is independent and not officially tied to the company.
Server Specifications and Operational Details
The server will be hosted in a data center in New York City and will be equipped with some serious hardware:
- Processor: AMD 9950X CPU
- Memory: 256GB RAM
- Storage: 2TB boot SSD + 2x2TB NVMe SSDs in RAID 0
- Connectivity: 10GB unmetered internet link
- Operating System: Ubuntu Linux OS
It’s designed for high uptime and reliability, with reserved slots for important validators and app servers on XRPL. Schwartz also said extra slots will be open to the public based on availability. Though it’s a personal project, he won’t do any harmful testing and warns that no one should fully depend on just one hub.
Community Suggestions & Feedback
David Schwartz openly asked the community for feedback, wondering if anyone thought his server plan wasn’t useful or if anything in the configuration could be improved. Several community members weighed in. Some suggested:
- Upgrading to Threadripper or Xeon CPUs with even more RAM
- Replacing RAID 0 with ZFS to avoid data loss risks.
- Creating a second server for redundancy and public dashboards for performance tracking.
Schwartz appreciated the ideas, saying he’s open to improvements and learning, especially regarding ZFS, which he hasn’t used much before.
XRPL Sees Record Growth in 2025
XRPL has just experienced one of its most hectic months on record. In July, it handled more than 70 million transactions and onboarded in excess of 1 million new users in 2025. Data platform, Dune Analytics even called it one of the most resilient in crypto. With 3,000+ new wallets being created daily, the number of XRPL accounts has now exceeded 7 million.
Activity on the network is increasing rapidly. Trading volume in DEX grew by 21%, usage of AMM by 17%, and cross-chain transfers on Axelar were $165 million. Stablecoins such as Brazil’s BBRL and Ripple’s RLUSD are increasing strongly too.
Also Read: XRP News: First-Ever Tokenized US Treasuries Goes Live on Ripple’s XRPL
