On October 8, 2026, Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of StarkWare, pushed a question that originally appeared only in technical meetings and internal roadmaps to the center of public discourse: the team is evaluating various proposals, including transforming Starknet, which is currently built on Ethereum, from a layer two network dependent on L1 security assumptions to a layer one chain with independent security and upgrade systems. The pressure prompting this architectural self-examination comes from the frequently mentioned risks of quantum computing and AI security—at the cryptographic level, they are seen as external forces that will tear apart existing consensus algorithms and signature mechanisms at some point in the future. Starknet has always emphasized its "cryptographic agility" based on ZK-STARK and has already drawn up a roadmap for post-quantum security migration, while including plans for a "major upgrade for quantum security to be completed as early as 2027." However, as an Ethereum L2, its current overall security still relies on the upgrade rhythm of Ethereum L1. Eli's statement this time is equivalent to openly acknowledging a reality: between the unclear timeline for quantum security on Ethereum and the still-discussed option of becoming L1, Starknet is trying to gain dominance over its quantum security milestone. The choice between “continuing as L2 waiting for underlying upgrades” and “switching to L1 to race for security migration” essentially represents an architectural game played along a timeline.
Quantum Computing Approach: Starknet Rescues Itself Before 2027
While the industry is still arguing over scalability and performance, quantum computing and AI have already begun to erode the foundations of cryptographic security assumptions over time. An increasing number of technical discussions view the "quantum impact" at some point in the future as an inevitable event, rather than a sci-fi scenario: once stronger computing power and automated attack tools stack up, the security margins of the existing public key systems may be rapidly compressed, forcing a reset on the security of long-term assets and protocols on-chain. In this atmosphere, if Starknet continues to be fully tied to Ethereum L1's timeline, passively waiting for the underlying definition of "post-quantum security" to begin, it would mean delaying its own milestone, which is an unacceptable risk configuration according to Eli.
Therefore, quantum security upgrades have been clearly included as a mid-term must-complete goal for Starknet, rather than an additional option to be done "if there is time." Technically, ZK-STARK, as the foundation of Starknet, has been repeatedly emphasized by officials and the media to possess cryptographic agility, viewed as better suited for primitive migration in the post-quantum era; in terms of roadmap, the team has developed a migration roadmap for post-quantum security, reserving planning space for "when and how to implement the changes." On October 8, 2026, Eli Ben-Sasson explicitly marked time at "the earliest major upgrade for quantum security in 2027," but he also admitted that currently, both the specifics of the migration details and whether to transition to an independent L1 remain in discussion and evaluation stages. This self-imposed deadline of 2027 pushes Starknet to a crossroads: either continue as Ethereum L2, accepting the insecure passivity caused by uncertain underlying timings, or actively reconstruct to become L1, bearing the higher architectural costs to gain control over its own quantum security upgrade pace.
The Security Constraints From Relying on Ethereum: Why L2 Upgrades Are Limited
As a layer two network built on Ethereum, every security upgrade of Starknet must first comply with the overall security assumptions of Ethereum L1. Eli Ben-Sasson has pointed this out: as long as Starknet remains L2, it must accept the cryptographic primitives, consensus mechanisms, and the upgrade pace of these underlying components established by Ethereum. Even if Starknet itself has so-called "cryptographic agility" and wishes to take a step ahead in the post-quantum direction, it ultimately still needs to submit its state for settlement on Ethereum, and the security boundaries of that step are set by L1, not Starknet itself.
The issue is that the timeline for quantum security upgrades of Ethereum L1 has not been clearly disclosed, and thus Starknet's 2027 quantum security milestone is inherently layered with uncertainty: if the underlying does not change for a long time, the L2's "proactive defense" will be locked on a foundation that has yet to upgrade. Waiting for L1 is a reality choice that complies with the existing architecture, but it means handing over key security nodes to someone else's timeline; conversely, if Starknet wants to truly grasp the rhythm of quantum security migration, it must consider breaking away from this reliance, which is also the fundamental reason why "transitioning to L1" has become a serious discussion.
Breaking Away From L2: The Power and Cost of Transitioning to L1
When Eli Ben-Sasson publicly acknowledged on October 8, 2026, that the team is seriously considering proposals such as "transitioning Starknet to an independent L1," the discussion is not merely about a routine update but rather about a shift in security sovereignty. As an L2 on Ethereum, Starknet currently must adhere to the security assumptions and upgrade rhythms of L1 in key technical decisions: how to design bridging logic, how to safely migrate assets and states, and how to maintain compatibility with Ethereum, all of which need to revolve around Ethereum's underlying roadmap. Once the choice is made to become independent L1, the security premise of the chain itself will no longer directly rely on Ethereum. Starknet needs to build its own consensus and security assurance system and decide through its governance structure when and how to implement post-quantum upgrades.
The acquisition of this power comes with the pressure of reconceptualizing connections. Today, Starknet can view itself as an extension within Ethereum's security perimeter, but if it detaches from the L2 track, it logically must change from an "extension of Ethereum" to "another chain interfacing with Ethereum": the bridging and security migration paths designed to complement Ethereum need to be redesigned around Starknet's own security assumptions, and the flow of assets and states between the two chains will no longer inherit all protections and constraints of Ethereum naturally. Thus, "whether to transition to L1" is no longer just a choice on an architectural diagram but a redefinition of what security perimeter Starknet will stand outside of and what role it will play within the Ethereum ecosystem.
Racing Against the Quantum Security Timeline: Wait for Ethereum or Stand Alone
From security boundaries to time boundaries, Starknet faces the next question: whose clock does quantum security's "timekeeper" align with? As an L2 relying on Ethereum, it should originally extend Ethereum L1's upgrade rhythm, but the question of when Ethereum will achieve full quantum resistance is not clarified in the current information. On the contrary, Starknet has included "the earliest significant upgrade for quantum security to be achieved by 2027" in its own planning, treating the post-quantum security migration roadmap as an independent timeline, which itself is a form of preemptive racing—when there is no clear time anchor upstream, setting a deadline for itself first.
This preemptive racing is not purely reckless, but a form of proactive defense in an uncertain environment: if Starknet continues to fully depend on Ethereum, its quantum security upgrades will be passively bound to an unclear progress; however, once it advances according to its own milestone, or even seriously evaluates "transitioning to L1 to autonomously control the security migration process," it also means accepting the risk of decoupling from upstream rhythms, including future misalignments in security assumptions, user expectations, and ecological cooperation. Eli Ben-Sasson currently only confirms that the team is "considering various proposals," without committing to the transition to L1 as a foregone conclusion. This leaves room to find a compromise between L2 and potential L1: Starknet can first aim for 2027 to continue refining the post-quantum roadmap while observing the evolution of Ethereum's timeline and its own governance discussions, repeatedly weighing whether to wait for upstream or truly take responsibility for its quantum security timeline independently.
Key Observations: What’s Missing From Roadmap Discussions To Governance Implementation
Under the pressure of quantum security, Starknet's consideration of transitioning from a reliance on Ethereum L2 to an independent L1 is essentially a tug-of-war between two timelines: whether to continue relying on the security assumptions and upgrade rhythm of Ethereum L1 or to take full responsibility for its own post-quantum migration timeline. It has incorporated quantum security upgrades into its mid-term goals and marked the earliest 2027 as an important milestone, but so far it remains at the proposal discussion level. The specific technical plans for transitioning to L1, timelines, governance processes, bridging and security migration details have not been disclosed, and whether it has entered a formal proposal or community voting stage is still unknown in the existing materials. Before these key blanks are filled, the external environment may be more suitable to view "L2 to L1" as a stress test rather than an established route. What is truly worth tracking in the future is whether a more detailed post-quantum technical roadmap is made public, whether Ethereum's own quantum security upgrade timeline will become clear, and how Starknet will reposition its ecological identity between "relying on Ethereum's security" and "autonomously controlling post-quantum migration." The evolution of these variables will determine the final path of this architectural choice.
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