Starknet token holders have backed research into turning the Ethereum layer-2 network into an independent layer-1 blockchain focused on post-quantum security.
The vote did not approve a migration or establish a timetable for leaving Ethereum. Instead, it authorized StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation to examine the technical requirements, trade-offs and effects on users, developers and the wider ecosystem. Any move to layer 1 would require detailed proposals and additional governance votes after the research and design phase.
Starknet uses hash-based STARK proofs, and its programmable accounts can adopt new signature schemes without a protocol upgrade. But its Ethereum bridge and data-availability arrangements remain connected to Ethereum’s infrastructure, leaving part of its security path tied to Ethereum’s plans for quantum resistance.
Ethereum is targeting December 2029 for a quantum-resistant layer 1, with broader migration work expected to extend beyond that date. StarkWare and Starknet have discussed a faster goal, framing 2027 as a target for becoming fully quantum resistant. StarkWare previously outlined a three-phase plan involving signature upgrades, smart-contract migration and infrastructure that remains dependent on Ethereum.
Research will now be led by a joint working group from StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation, with findings to be shared through Starknet’s governance forum. If the work supports continuing toward an independent chain, the findings will form the basis for further proposals and community votes. Until then, Starknet remains an Ethereum layer 2, and the poll itself changes neither its network status nor the obligations of users and developers.