Starknet token holders have backed research into turning the network from an Ethereum Layer 2 into an independent, quantum-safe Layer 1, with 93.5% of voting power supporting the proposal in a community vote.
According to StarkWare, the seven-day Snapshot vote closed on Thursday morning and drew participation from more than 2,800 wallets. StarkWare itself did not vote.
The result does not mean Starknet will immediately leave Ethereum. The proposal only authorizes StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation to carry out deeper research. Any actual migration plan would still require a separate vote by STRK holders.
The Starknet Foundation said STRK would remain the native token regardless of the eventual direction. It also said no new token would be issued and the bridge between Ethereum and Starknet would remain open.
Quantum timeline is at the center of the debate
The issue, as presented in the proposal, is timing. Starknet is built on hash-based cryptography, and its accounts can adopt post-quantum signatures without changing the protocol layer. The weak points are the bridge and data availability, both of which currently depend on Ethereum. Ethereum’s quantum-safety target is set for 2029.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson first publicly raised the Layer 1 idea on Oct. 8, then opened the seven-day community vote on Oct. 15. In comments to The Block, he said, “Ethereum’s 2029 target for quantum safety is too late, and the deadline will keep slipping. Ask anyone who waited through The Merge.”
Ben-Sasson said Starknet is targeting 2027 for quantum safety, though the timeline for any Layer 1 migration has not been set.
Draft white paper expected in November
Ben-Sasson also pointed to AI as a factor speeding up progress in quantum computing. In his words, “AI agents are accelerating the quantum threat in ways most people don’t realize. This race has already started.”
He said work on the white paper had begun before the weekend, and a draft is expected to be released in November for public review.
From theory to governance process
This is not StarkWare’s first move on post-quantum security. In June, the company published a three-stage post-quantum roadmap that was described by the industry as the “strongest quantum-safe architecture in crypto.” At that stage, though, the roadmap remained theoretical.
The latest vote pushes the discussion into a formal governance process. The question is no longer only whether Starknet should pursue the idea, but whether the community agrees that the work should move into the research phase.
What comes next
For STRK holders, the vote cuts both ways. The quantum-safety narrative strengthens Starknet’s technical positioning. At the same time, a break from Ethereum would mean giving up Layer 2 ecosystem benefits and data-availability subsidies. Whether the 2027 target can be met will depend on the quality of the white paper and later engineering execution, according to the report.
The next points to watch are the timing and depth of the November draft white paper, the launch of a second governance vote, and whether Ethereum core developers publicly respond to Starknet’s possible path toward independence.
With this vote, Starknet has become the first major chain to place a potential “move” into a formal governance process. The debate over quantum safety has moved beyond academic discussion and into live network decision-making.
