StarkWare issues three-phase post-quantum roadmap for Starknet

On Tuesday StarkWare published a three-phase roadmap to make Starknet resistant to quantum attacks by replacing remaining elliptic-curve dependencies and providing migration tools for existing contracts.

The proposal builds on Starknet's zero-knowledge STARK proofs, which rely on hash-based cryptography the company describes as inherently resistant to quantum attacks. StarkWare indicated the described changes could make the network quantum-ready within months if implemented.

Phase one would replace Pedersen hashing with BLAKE2 for state commitments, contract addresses and network configuration. The plan also proposes post-quantum consensus signatures such as Falcon-512.

Phase two focuses on developer tooling to help transition legacy contracts away from elliptic-curve signatures and hashing.

Phase three targets external dependencies tied to Ethereum, including bridge syscalls and blob data availability. StarkWare said those items will require coordination with Ethereum's own post-quantum work.

The company framed the roadmap around what it calls an architectural advantage: many transaction validity checks and proofs on Starknet already use hash-based constructions, so fewer components would need replacement to reach post-quantum security.

Eli Ben-Sasson described the document as a path to ‘making Starknet a safe haven for funds whatever quantum may bring' and warned against an ‘elliptical illusion' that systems built on elliptic-curve cryptography will remain secure without substantial change. He argued that cryptographic tools to protect digital assets against quantum threats already exist and that remaining gaps result from inaction.

StarkWare emphasized developer experience in phase two, saying migration tools will simplify upgrading contracts that depend on elliptic-curve operations.

The roadmap follows related research by a StarkWare engineer proposing a quantum-safe approach for Bitcoin transactions that replaces elliptic-curve assumptions with hash-based constructions such as Lamport signatures. That work reported roughly 118-bit second pre-image resistance under a defined quantum threat model while remaining compatible with Bitcoin's script constraints.

StarkWare urged other projects to consider similar cryptographic choices and noted that full ecosystem hardening will depend on broader coordination for protocol-level features.