Starknet Weighs Becoming an L1 to Chase Quantum Resistance
StarkWare’s Eli Ben-Sasson floats making Starknet an L1 for “post-quantum agility,” citing AI and quantum threats.
Starknet says it’s “actively considering“ graduating from an Ethereum Layer 2 network to a standalone L1, framing the move as its path to becoming “the first fully quantum-resistant network” with a 2027 target.
What’s the Scoop?
The pitch: Minutes before Starknet’s early Thursday post, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson put the question to his followers: is “Starknet becoming an L1 for post-quantum agility” a good idea or a bad one? The thread ties into his Token2049 talk.
Bunker mode, again: Borrowing Drake’s phrase from a day earlier, Ben-Sasson said quantum computing and fast-moving AI together call for “bunker mode,” with chains needing to future-proof their cryptography fast.
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The L2 catch: As an L2, Ben-Sasson noted that Starknet relies on Ethereum’s security. Going L1 would let it run its own security migrations instead of waiting on Ethereum, which he says is targeting full quantum resistance by the end of 2029, or Bitcoin, which hasn’t committed to a date.
Nothing decided: There’s no formal proposal or vote yet. Notably, StarkWare’s June post-quantum roadmap left Ethereum-dependent pieces like bridge messaging and blob data waiting on Ethereum’s own upgrade.
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