L2s weigh L1 shift for quantum safety

TLDR

Several Layer 2 projects are rethinking their dependence on existing Layer 1s as they plan quantum?resistant security upgrades.

1. Starknet (STRK) is openly considering shifting from an Ethereum L2 to its own L1 so it can control cryptography changes and target full quantum resistance around 2027.
2. Other networks including NEAR Protocol (NEAR), Tron (TRX), Algorand (ALGO) and Zcash (ZEC) are rolling out or planning quantum?safe signatures and account models.
3. For users, the key questions are how these upgrades affect wallets, bridges and apps, and whether migrations can happen without fragmentation or new attack surfaces.

Confidence: moderate, based on multiple recent project and media reports. Timelines are targets, not guarantees.

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Deep Dive

1. Starknets L2 To L1 Quantum Plan

Starknet (STRK) currently runs as an Ethereum Layer 2 validity rollup, but its bridge and data availability still rely on Ethereums elliptic?curve signatures. A recent report says the team is weighing becoming an independent Layer 1 to set its own timetable for quantum?safe upgrades and to target being the first fully quantum?resistant network by 2027, though no governance decision or migration schedule is approved yet Starknet L1 shift.

StarkWares CEO has warned that the quantum threat may be much closer than we think and called for bunker mode, arguing that a future?proof chain needs the right cryptography and the freedom to upgrade it without waiting on Ethereums process Starknet quantum warning.

To illustrate the problem on slow?moving L1s, StarkWare researchers spent a Bitcoin output using a hash?based Quantum?Safe Bitcoin construction. The transaction worked but Bitcoins software did not recognize it natively, showing how expensive and awkward quantum?safe workarounds can be until the base chain itself upgrades.

2. Quantum?Safe Work Across Other Chains

NEAR Protocol (NEAR) says user accounts can already use ML?DSA quantum?resistant signatures, with wallet contracts and Intents designed to accept them, and has a draft to narrow token issuance over time NEAR quantum?resistant accounts. A separate technical proposal adds post?quantum signing for access keys without forcing account migration.

Tron has deployed quantum?resistant encryption on testnet and says it is ready to activate it on mainnet when needed, aiming to move before Q?Day, the point where quantum computers could break todays signatures Tron quantum?resistant testnet.

The same report notes Ethereum Foundation work on quantum?safe account cryptography, Algorands plan for quantum?resistant accounts by about 2027, and a quantum?security research push for Bitcoin. Zcash developers are targeting quantum?resistant payments around January 2027, signalling a broader multichain shift to new signature schemes.

3. Migration Risks And What To Watch

Quantum?safe upgrades are not just a new algorithm. They touch wallets, bridges, smart contracts, light clients and on?chain governance. For L2s, a key issue is that the base L1 still controls signatures and consensus, so full quantum resistance may require either coordinated upgrades on the L1 or a move to an independent base layer, as Starknet is exploring.

Three practical watchpoints for users and builders are:

1. Clear, voted governance decisions on whether a chain will change cryptography or its L1/L2 structure.
2. Concrete migration plans for accounts, bridges and validator keys that minimise breakage and avoid creating easy downgrade or replay attacks.
3. Standardisation across ecosystems, so wallets and infrastructure can support new schemes without fragmenting compatibility.

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Conclusion

Quantum computing is pushing L1 and L2 teams to rethink their foundations, with Starknets possible L2 to L1 shift showing how important control over cryptography has become. Parallel efforts on NEAR, Tron, Algorand, Zcash and Ethereum suggest a coming wave of post?quantum upgrades. For crypto users, the edge will come from tracking which networks turn ambitious timelines into real, coordinated migrations rather than just marketing claims.