Summary

We propose initiating a community-wide process to rebrand the $DOT to $JAM by the end of 2026. This rebrand reflects an evolution from Polkadot Relay Chain securing app-chains with $DOT to the JAM Chain becoming the premier platform for trustless supercomputing, powered by the JAM token.

The identity of $JAM is aligned with the next phase of growth—one rooted in new JAM Services CoreChains, CoreVM, and CorePlay. It positions JAM as a fourth-generation blockchain protocol eponymous with its primary chain name (the JAM Chain) and JAM token, ready to lead in scalable composable trustless supercomputing.

Rationale

Since its inception, $DOT has been the foundational utility token of Polkadot, underpinning staking, governance, and securing parachains. But the protocol has evolved. Going forward:

• CoreTime is the primary product
• CoreChains is just one of several JAM Services, the one securing parachains
• Massive community efforts in Summer/Fall 2025 are moving staking, governance, balances into Asset Hub

The combination of the above enable a complete replacement of the Polkadot Relay Chain with the JAM Chain.

The endpoint is that the JAM Chain is no longer just a rollup host for parachains but a complete trustless supercomputing platform:

• CoreChains secures rollups, the "old" sole function of Polkadot
• CoreVM is trustless execution of arbitrary programs
• CorePlay is trustless execution of actor-based programs TBD

Coupled with JAM brand is the use of "cores", which are abstract units of computation central to JAM's architecture All are backed by the same TB-scale data availability layer. JAM's primary product is CoreTime, which would be purchased with $JAM tokens (rather than $DOT).

The name DOT is historically tied to securing app-chains/rollups/parachains. But DOT no longer captures the full scope of JAM protocol’s ambitions and is too associated with parachains. DOT is so closely tied to "parachains" that its continued use for JAM new capabilities may be seen as a liability and may hamper JAM's ability to have a new generation of CoreVM+Coreplay developers.

By contrast, the name JAM evokes movement, creativity, and (semi-)coherence—apt metaphors for a platform built to orchestrate computation across many JAM cores. JAM Cores can be used to not just secure rollups, but to run arbitrary programs, making a truly trustless supercomputer.

Having a $DOT rebrand to $JAM reduces the psychological barrier of DOT being solely associated with parachains and instead supports new psychological framing around trustless supercomputing.

It is believed this transformation can accelerate JAM service usage with a new generation of developers not only to secure app-chains but also to build CoreVM + CorePlay applications. It is expected the complexity of building CoreVM + CorePlay applications will be massively lower than that of parachains, expanding the demand for CoreTime significantly, paid for with the $JAM token.

Goals

• Unify JAM branding: JAM as the trustless supercomputing protocol, the $JAM token and the JAM chain.
• Position JAM evolution to appeal to private enterprises, institutions building fourth-generation secure scalable decentralized applications.
• Lay the groundwork for messaging around JAM-native services—CoreChains, CoreVM, CorePlay—and create new sources of demand for Coretime and thus the JAM token

Scope

This Wish for Change opens an ecosystem-wide discussion on the feasibility and roadmap for:

• Renaming $DOT to $JAM across CEXes/DEXes, wallets, documentation, explorers, and marketing channels.
• Engaging CEXs, parachain teams, wallets, indexers, marketing teams to coordinate the transition in 2026.

This proposal does not mandate an immediate change nor have any tokenonomics changes, but initiates preparation for community consensus and execution by the end of 2026.

Key Considerations

Rebranding a well-established identity like Polkadot is a serious undertaking, which will be expected to supported by many OpenGov proposals. This should be taken into consideration by OpenGov voters. From x.com/polkadot and polkadot.com, to global marketing partnerships (e.g. Inter Miami FC), Polkadot has years of ecosystem investment in the $DOT brand. Most ecosystem participants have a deep emotional attachment to the Polkadot brand and will be hesistant to start afresh and consider these investments sunk costs.

But the future is JAM. And what we need is growth from new ecosystem participants. We cannot stagnate just because of these sunk costs.

A coordinated rebrand signals confidence and clarity to the outside world: the Polkadot Relay Chain is now the JAM chain, the DOT token is now JAM, and the JAM protocol will lead us into the age of scalable composable trustless supercomputing.

Certain naming changes naturally follow:

• Polkadot Relay Chain → JAM Chain
• $DOT → $JAM across CEXes, CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, ...
• Polkadot Cloud/Hub → JAM Cloud/Hub
• Migration of polkadot domain names to JAM-branded equivalents
• New messaging: “Secured by JAM” replaces “Secured by Polkadot”
• Polkadot Blockchain Academy, Ambassadors, Events → JAM equivalents
• Events like Sub0 / Decoded become JAM-branded showcases
• ... and more decided by the DOT=>JAM community!

Timing

A rebrand is difficult to coordinate all in one day, but coordinated milestones can guide rollout among dozens of stakeholders:

• This Wish for Change passes and discussion begins
• The JAM 1.0 protocol is ratified by the Fellowship
• The JAM Toaster successfully tests CoreChains and associated services
• The Polkadot Relay Chain transitions to JAM Chain
• ... and more decided by the DOT=>JAM community!

Based on current development trajectories, these milestones are expected to converge by mid-2026.

Next Steps

We invite all stakeholders—token holders, developers, parachain teams, ecosystem contributors, and governance participants—to engage in discussion here. Even if you do not agree with rebranding $DOT to $JAM, your opinion on how both brands can be managed will help the community decide how to move forward.

Let’s embrace a JAM-centric brand that reflects what Polkadot is destined to become:

The dominant protocol for trustless supercomputing: the JAM protocol
The dominant token for trustless supercomputing: the $JAM token
The dominant chain for trustless supercomputing: the JAM Chain

Let’s JAM!