Tezos Prepares Quantum-Resistant Blockchain with Experimental Test Network

Tezos has taken steps to protect its blockchain technology from potential threats posed by future quantum computers. A team of developers at Nomadic Labs, led by Core Layer 1 Engineering Manager Zaynah Dargaye, have launched an experimental test network called Quantumnet.

This new platform is not the final post-quantum version of Tezos but rather a testing ground for identifying problems and measuring performance. The goal is to refine the technology before potentially proposing it as a future protocol amendment.

The team is exploring quantum-resistant cryptography across multiple layers of its blockchain, including user accounts, baker selection, consensus, and data availability. Quantumnet uses ML-DSA-44 for tz5 account signatures and Smooth Weighted Round Robin for baker selection. It also tests post-quantum signature aggregation for consensus and ZODA for data availability.

This move coincides with Ethereum developers aiming to make L1 quantum-resistant by the end of 2029, with an intermediate step planned for late 2026. Meanwhile, Bitcoin's quantum defense has taken a step forward after StarkWare and the MARA Foundation conducted the first known quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction on August 27.