The Starknet community has officially voted in favor of exploring a monumental shift in the network’s architecture, throwing its weight behind research to transform the popular scaling protocol into an independent, post-quantum layer-1 blockchain.
The potential departure from Ethereum captured staggering levels of community engagement during a pivotal governance vote that ran for seven days and officially closed on Thursday. The poll attracted approximately 3,200 participants, with an overwhelming 93.52% of the voting power cast in favor of exploring the transition.
According to StarkWare, the non-binding poll recorded the highest level of participation in Starknet’s governance history. StarkWare noted that it deliberately abstained from casting a ballot, opting instead to leave the strategic decision entirely in the hands of the decentralized community.
The decisive outcome grants StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation the mandate to proceed with rigorous research into the feasibility of establishing an independent layer-1 network. However, developers and community leaders have emphasized that any actual migration or shift in network architecture would require a separate, binding governance vote in the future. For the time being, Starknet will continue operating normally as an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network while the research phase moves forward.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson revealed ambitious timelines for the initial phase of the project, noting that drafting sessions were already underway.
“We’re beginning work on a whitepaper even before we start the weekend, and hope to release a draft for public scrutiny in November,” Ben-Sasson told Cointelegraph.
Starknet Outlines Next Steps for Post-Quantum L1 Research
Following the conclusion of the governance vote, StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation have established a dedicated working group. This specialized team has been tasked with examining the proposed structural transition in depth and formulating more detailed technical proposals for the community to evaluate.
The original governance proposal explicitly clarified several key parameters regarding the network’s native asset and infrastructure. According to the document, STRK will remain the network’s native token, with no new token issuance planned as part of the potential transition. Furthermore, existing cryptographic bridges facilitating movement between Starknet and Ethereum will remain open.
The conversation surrounding a potential departure first materialized publicly on Oct. 8, when StarkWare raised concerns regarding Starknet’s ongoing reliance on Ethereum for fundamental security guarantees. Although Starknet currently leverages hash-based STARK proofs and supports programmable accounts capable of adopting post-quantum signatures, its core bridge infrastructure and data availability mechanisms remain tethered to Ethereum’s overarching upgrade timeline.
The urgency behind these architectural discussions stems from growing anxieties over the long-term threat that quantum computing poses to current cryptographic standards. In June, StarkWare unveiled a comprehensive three-phase quantum-resistance roadmap. This strategic framework spans crucial development milestones, including cryptographic upgrades, smart-contract migration protocols, and the eventual decoupling from Ethereum-dependent infrastructure.
StarkWare’s Quantum Hub reports that it has already tested technology specifically designed to withstand future quantum attacks, achieving a notable milestone by successfully processing a transaction on Starknet’s live network. Despite this technical achievement, the development team acknowledges that the technology remains highly experimental and has not yet undergone a comprehensive, independent security audit.
Ben-Sasson has established an aggressive target of 2027 to make Starknet fully quantum-resistant, placing the network’s schedule well ahead of Ethereum’s projected timeline for similar security upgrades.
“Ethereum’s target of 2029 to become quantum-safe is too late, and deadlines slip,” Ben-Sasson stated, underscoring the philosophy driving the independent research initiative.
