Starknet’s community has backed research into an independent, quantum-resistant layer-1 blockchain, with 93.52% of voting power supporting the proposal following a seven-day governance vote.
Summary
- Starknet’s seven-day governance vote closed October 22 with 93.52% of voting power supporting research into an independent layer-1 blockchain.
- Approximately 3,200 votes were recorded in the non-binding poll, which did not authorize leaving Ethereum.
- StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation will examine an independent, quantum-resistant network before another governance decision.
- STRK will remain the native token, with no replacement planned, while existing Ethereum bridges are expected to remain open.
- StarkWare plans to publish a draft whitepaper in November, outlining the technical questions surrounding a possible transition.
According to the official governance proposal, the non-binding poll closed on October 22 after attracting approximately 3,200 votes, giving StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation community support to investigate the proposed transition without authorizing a departure from Ethereum.
The result represents the first formal community response to StarkWare’s October 8 proposal to examine whether Starknet should operate as a standalone blockchain.
StarkWare said the vote recorded the highest participation in the network’s governance history. The company abstained from voting, leaving STRK holders and participating delegates to determine whether the research should proceed.
The poll offered three choices: support further research, oppose it or remain neutral pending additional information. Approval allows developers to prepare technical proposals for future consideration.
As crypto.news reported when voting opened, the original ballot explicitly distinguished support for research from approval of an actual migration.
Starknet continues to operate as an Ethereum layer-2 network, using its own transaction-processing infrastructure while relying on Ethereum for settlement and data availability.
Any decision to establish a standalone network would require another governance process. The proposal contains no binding migration timetable, final architecture or instruction for users to transfer their assets.
Ethereum dependencies drive the post-quantum proposal
Security concerns prompted StarkWare to explore a different network structure. Although Starknet already uses hash-based STARK proofs, other components still depend on cryptographic systems maintained by Ethereum.
In its post-quantum security roadmap, StarkWare identified Ethereum’s bridge messaging infrastructure and blob-based data availability as two remaining dependencies.
Ethereum uses KZG commitments for blob data, while some bridge-related functions rely on elliptic-curve cryptography. StarkWare considers those systems vulnerable to sufficiently powerful future quantum computers.
An independent blockchain could give Starknet greater control over its security upgrades, removing the need to follow Ethereum’s timetable for certain components.
However, independence would introduce other requirements. Starknet would need to establish how validators secure consensus, maintain data availability and protect transactions without relying on Ethereum’s existing infrastructure.
Community discussion has raised questions about validator responsibilities, censorship resistance and the economic security provided by staked STRK. No complete replacement security model has been published.
StarkWare prepares November whitepaper on potential transition
Following the favorable vote, StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation have established a working group to evaluate the technical and operational requirements of an independent blockchain.
A draft whitepaper is planned for November, providing an opportunity to examine the proposed architecture before any binding decision.
The governance forum discussion confirms that STRK would remain the network’s native cryptocurrency under either arrangement. The proposal does not call for a replacement token.
Existing bridges connecting Starknet and Ethereum are expected to remain available, although the team has not published detailed procedures for maintaining those connections under a standalone architecture.
StarkWare has set a 2027 target for making Starknet quantum-resistant. Its existing roadmap divides the work into three phases covering new activity, legacy smart contracts and Ethereum-dependent infrastructure.
The first phase replaces certain Pedersen hashing components with BLAKE2-based alternatives. The second addresses storage and migration requirements for existing contracts.
The third phase focuses on infrastructure that currently depends on Ethereum’s cryptographic upgrades, including bridge messaging and data availability.
Starknet’s quantum security work continues on Ethereum
The proposed independence research follows several developments in StarkWare’s existing security program.
In August, StarkWare demonstrated quantum-safe Bitcoin transactions on the Bitcoin mainnet, with further review and improvements still required before broader implementation.
Starknet has separately introduced privacy features for DeFi, including Shadow Accounts, which allow supported applications to use addresses that are not publicly linked to users’ primary wallets.
Those tools operate within the current layer-2 network and are not conditional on an independent blockchain proposal.
StarkWare’s quantum research program has demonstrated post-quantum account technology on Starknet’s live network, although the experimental implementation has not completed a security audit.
Meanwhile, STRK traded near $0.055 at press time, down 1.24% over 24 hours and 32.46% over seven days, with approximately $162.5 million in daily trading volume.
Its reported circulating supply stood near 7.6 billion tokens, giving the asset a market capitalization of approximately $414.3 million.
