Starknet has started researching whether it should stop operating as an Ethereum Layer 2 and become its own blockchain after a community poll backed opening that work.
The network said it is still aiming for full post-quantum security by 2027, but the vote does not commit Starknet to making the switch.
The non-binding Snapshot poll closed on Thursday, Oct. 22, after running for seven days. The option 「Yes, this should be researched」 received 93.52% of the roughly 489 million STRK in voting power cast across 3,236 votes. About 4.6% of voting power went to 「No」, while about 1.9% selected a neutral option asking for more information.
In a results post on its governance forum, the Starknet Foundation said the vote did not approve a transition to Layer 1. The Foundation said formal approval would be sought only after research and design work is completed.
What comes next
According to the Foundation, StarkWare and the Foundation will now run a joint working group and publish its findings on the forum.
If that work supports moving ahead, detailed proposals would go back to the community for additional votes. The Foundation also asked node operators, app builders, and STRK holders to respond with the questions they want the research to address.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson wrote on X that any path toward becoming an L1 would be put to a community vote and that STRK would remain the network’s token. He described the result as a huge shift and a milestone, adding that the AI and quantum challenges ahead require it.
The poll discussion thread also said no new token would be issued and that bridges from Ethereum to Starknet would remain open regardless of the outcome.
Why Starknet is studying an L1 path
The Starknet Foundation said the network already has an architectural head start on post-quantum security. It pointed to proof systems built on hash functions and user accounts that can switch to new signature schemes without a protocol upgrade.
In a separate post, Ben-Sasson said 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.
Starknet said the main constraint is its dependence on Ethereum. In a post on X, the project’s official account said Starknet is targeting full post-quantum security by 2027, while Ethereum’s target is 2029. As an L2, it cannot complete that transition while its bridge and data availability remain tied to Ethereum’s timeline.
Starknet first set the 2027 target on Oct. 8, when it said it was considering becoming an L1. Ben-Sasson raised the same idea that day on X, writing that chains need to become future-proofed, and fast.
Two days later, StarkWare said in its own X post that Starknet becoming an independent L1 is 「our clearest path forward」. StarkWare’s three-phase post-quantum roadmap from June 30 had left the bridge and blob data availability tied to Ethereum’s own upgrade and did not mention an L1 path.
