Description: This release contains following changes:

• Upgrade Cere chain to use Polkadot-v1.8.0

Desired outcome:

• Cere Network operates its own blockchain environment built on the Substrate framework and is currently using Polkadot v1.7.0. As part of our new release, we have upgraded the Cere chain to use Polkadot v1.8.0. Please note that there are no changes included from the Cere end in this release. For more details, kindly refer to the Polkadot v1.8.0 release notes.

Benefit for the stakeholders:

• Polkadot v1.8.0 focuses on improved fork choice rules and introduces preliminary support for asynchronous backing. It is essential for more accurate fork selection and preparing for future consensus mechanisms like asynchronous backing.

For full details, visit the GitHub release.