# 2.1 Validator Requirements

On Spicenet, validators are broadly classified into two categories:

1. Non-voting validators
2. Voting validators

### **Non-voting Validators**

Non-voting validators on Spicenet are more akin to full nodes. They:

* Cannot participate in network discourse, such as voting
* Cannot challenge state or generate fraud proofs
* Still have stake in the network and can be attributed for malicious behavior
* Come under a hierarchy below voting validators
* Garner lower rewards compared to voting validators due to their limited participation

Hardware Requirements for Non-voting Validators:

#### **Minimum:**

* 16GB RAM
* 8 Core CPU (no custom features required as of now)
* 500GB Storage
* Bandwidth: 500Mbps sustained bandwidth

#### **Recommended:**

* 32GB RAM
* 16 Core CPU (no custom features required as of now)
* 2TB Storage
* Bandwidth: 1Gbps sustained bandwidth

#### **Stake Requirements:** TBD (But will be subsidised by the Spicenet Foundation for initial validators)

{% hint style="info" %}
No GPU is required as Spicenet is not optimised for GPU yet. The only process that may require a GPU for faster throughput is a prover, which is not available for non-voting validators.
{% endhint %}

### **Voting Validators**

Voting validators on Spicenet are more akin to full validators. They:

* Can participate in active network discourse, such as voting
* Can challenge state and generate fraud proofs
* Have stake in the network and can be attributed for malicious behavior
* Come under a hierarchy above non-voting validators
* Have a specialised proving process attached to their software, allowing them to generate proofs of invalidity (fraud proofs)
* Garner higher block rewards for their increased participation in the network

Hardware Requirements for Voting Validators:

#### **Minimum:**

* 32GB RAM
* 16 Core CPU (no custom features required as of now)
* 1TB Storage
* Bandwidth: 500Mbps sustained bandwidth

#### **Recommended:**

* 64GB RAM
* 32 Core CPU (with preferably a higher clock rate, or a higher core CPU with a moderate clock rate, such as a 2x24 Core CPU)
* 2TB Storage
* Bandwidth: 1Gbps sustained bandwidth
* (Optional) GPU for running prover processes within the zkVM: recommended Nvidia 4070 (minimum) or 4080

#### **Stake Requirements:** TBD (But will be subsidized by the Spicenet Foundation for initial validators)


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