Naoris Protocol has launched its mainnet, introducing a layer-1 blockchain that applies post-quantum cryptography to transaction validation and network security. The network is currently live under a restricted, invite-only model, allowing early participants to operate validator nodes and process transactions. The project integrates cryptographic standards finalized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to address vulnerabilities that could emerge in existing blockchains as encryption methods age.
Before the mainnet went live, the protocol’s test network processed more than 100 million transactions and flagged hundreds of millions of potential threats, with activity recorded across millions of wallets and nodes. The network relies on a consensus mechanism called distributed proof of security, or dPoSec, to verify transactions across participating nodes. The NAORIS token is intended to underpin network operations as the project’s economic model continues to develop.
The rollout is structured in phases, beginning with a limited group of validators and partners before broader access is made available. The project counts advisers with backgrounds in cybersecurity, government, and enterprise technology among its contributors, and has received backing from investors including Draper Associates. No specific timeline for full public access has been disclosed.
The launch arrives as revised estimates for quantum computing are accelerating efforts to move away from current cryptographic standards. New research from Google released recently suggests quantum computers may require far fewer resources than previously believed to break blockchain encryption. The study found that fewer than 500,000 physical qubits could potentially crack systems securing Bitcoin and Ether, representing roughly a 20-fold reduction from earlier estimates.
Those findings point to a compressed timeline for quantum risk. Justin Drake, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, estimates at least a 10% probability that a quantum computer could recover a private key by 2032. Separately, researchers at the California Institute of Technology working with Oratomic reached similar conclusions, finding that advances in error correction could lower the qubit requirements for practical quantum systems to between 10,000 and 20,000, down from earlier assumptions in the millions. Based on those reductions, the researchers suggested a viable quantum computer could emerge by around 2030.
Blockchain developers across the industry are beginning to respond to these projections. In January, developers within the Solana ecosystem introduced a quantum-resistant vault that uses hash-based signatures to generate new keys for each transaction, limiting the exposure of public keys. On March 24, developers from the Ethereum Foundation launched a Post-Quantum Ethereum resource hub outlining plans to upgrade the network’s cryptography at the protocol level by 2029, while acknowledging the multi-year complexity involved in such a transition.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
