Starknet voters back research into independent post-quantum layer 1

What happened

Starknet's community has backed a non-binding governance poll that supports research into whether the network should become an independent, post-quantum layer 1 rather than remain an Ethereum layer 2. The Snapshot poll ran for seven days and closed on Thursday, Oct. 22. Of the roughly 489 million STRK in voting power cast across 3,236 votes, 93.52% chose 'Yes, this should be researched,' according to Unchained and other reports.

About 4.6% of voting power selected 'No,' while roughly 1.9% chose the neutral option asking for more information. The Starknet Foundation said the result does not approve a transition to a layer 1. It said formal approval would be sought after research and design work is complete.

StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation will form a joint working group and post its findings on the governance forum. If the research supports moving ahead, detailed proposals would return to the community for further votes. Starknet will continue operating as an Ethereum layer 2 for now.

StarkWare abstained from the vote to leave the decision to the community, according to Cointelegraph, which reported that the poll drew the highest participation in Starknet's governance history. CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said any path to a layer 1 would be brought to a community vote and that STRK would remain the network's token. He described the result as a milestone and cited AI and quantum challenges as reasons for the work. Ben-Sasson told Cointelegraph that a whitepaper was being started and that a draft was hoped for in November.

Why it matters

Starknet's main constraint, according to its official account, is its reliance on Ethereum. The network says it is targeting full post-quantum security by 2027, while Ethereum's target is 2029, and that as a layer 2 it cannot complete that transition while its bridge and data availability remain tied to Ethereum's timeline. The Foundation argues that Starknet has an architectural head start because its proof systems are built on hash functions and its user accounts can switch to new signature schemes without a protocol upgrade.

Those features do not make the whole network quantum-safe. As NewsBTC noted, security depends on every component a system uses, not only its proving mechanism. A move to an independent layer 1 would also change Starknet's relationship with Ethereum, potentially turning a prominent scaling network into a competing base layer. For developers, questions about settlement assumptions, application infrastructure and user protections could matter sooner than distant quantum scenarios. For STRK holders, the vote signals community interest rather than an approved redesign or a launch date.

What the data shows

The poll's 93.52% support was based on about 489 million STRK in voting power, with 3,236 votes cast. The 'No' option took about 4.6% and the neutral option about 1.9%. StarkWare said participation was the highest in Starknet's governance history. The proposal stated that STRK would remain the native token, with no new token planned, and that bridges between Ethereum and Starknet would stay open regardless of the outcome.

Bitcoin.com News reported that STRK fell about 14% in the 24 hours after the poll closed, trading near $0.054. The token was down roughly 40% over the week, after trading above $0.12 on Oct. 11, and remained nearly 99% below its February 2024 peak of $4.41.

Background

StarkWare first raised the possibility of an independent layer 1 on Oct. 8, with Ben-Sasson arguing that chains need to be future-proofed quickly. Two days later, StarkWare said in a post on X that becoming an independent layer 1 was its clearest path forward. The idea followed a three-phase post-quantum roadmap published on June 30 that left the bridge and blob data availability tied to Ethereum's own upgrade and did not mention a layer 1.

StarkWare's Quantum Hub says it has tested technology designed to resist future quantum attacks by processing a transaction on Starknet's live network, but the technology remains experimental and has not been security audited. Ben-Sasson has also said that ZK-STARKs were designed with post-quantum security in mind and that the team will do the work needed to make all of Starknet post-quantum secure. Separately, StarkWare has been pushing privacy tools, including the STRK20 framework and Shadow Accounts, which let users interact with decentralized applications through pseudonymous identities.

What is still unclear

The research mandate leaves several major questions unanswered. NewsBTC listed how assets would bridge, where data would be available, what role existing validators and applications would have, and whether independence would sacrifice security or liquidity benefits that Starknet currently gets from Ethereum. No implementation timeline has been established. The joint working group is expected to examine technical requirements, trade-offs and potential consequences before any binding vote.

Starknet's tested quantum-resistant technology is still experimental and unaudited, and the Foundation has not said that the research will conclude in favor of a transition. The November whitepaper is described as a draft for public scrutiny, not a final plan.

What to watch

The next steps are the working group's findings and the draft whitepaper expected in November. If the research supports a move, detailed technical proposals would go back to the community for further votes. Any actual transition would require a separate binding governance vote, and Starknet would keep running as an Ethereum layer 2 until then. The Foundation has also asked node operators, app builders and STRK holders to submit the questions they want the research to address.

Questions readers ask