Naoris Protocol has launched its mainnet, unveiling a layer-1 blockchain that uses post‑quantum cryptography to validate transactions and secure the network. The chain is live in a limited, invite‑only phase that lets early participants run validator nodes and process transactions while the team expands access in planned stages.
The project incorporates cryptographic standards finalized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to reduce the future risk posed by quantum attacks on conventional encryption. Ahead of mainnet, Naoris’ testnet handled more than 100 million transactions and identified what the team described as hundreds of millions of potential security events, data the developers say informed hardening and protocol design.
Naoris uses a consensus model called distributed proof of security (dPoSec) to reach agreement across nodes. The NAORIS token will be used to support network operations as the economic model evolves. The initial rollout is restricted to a curated set of validators and partners, with broader participation to follow in phased releases. The project lists advisers from cybersecurity, government, and enterprise technology backgrounds and counts investors such as Draper Associates among its backers.
Rising urgency around quantum computing
Recent research and estimates have accelerated interest in post‑quantum defenses. Quantum computers, which manipulate qubits and quantum states rather than classical bits, can in principle run algorithms that break widely used public‑key cryptography. A study released by Google suggests far fewer physical qubits than earlier projections could be required to compromise the cryptography securing Bitcoin and Ether — the paper estimated under 500,000 physical qubits, roughly a 20‑fold reduction from prior figures.
Other experts and teams have reached similar conclusions. Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has estimated at least a 10% chance that a quantum computer could recover a private key by 2032. Researchers at Caltech working with Oratomic say advances in error correction might reduce the qubit requirements for practical, fault‑tolerant quantum machines to the 10,000–20,000 range, implying a potential viable device around 2030.
Ecosystem responses
Blockchain developers are beginning to implement quantum‑resistant measures. In January, teams in the Solana ecosystem released a vault using hash‑based signatures that generates new keys per transaction to limit public‑key exposure. On March 24, the Ethereum Foundation launched a “Post‑Quantum Ethereum” resource hub outlining plans to upgrade the network’s cryptography, with a goal of introducing protocol‑level changes by 2029 while stressing the multi‑year complexity of such a transition.
Naoris’ launch joins a growing set of industry efforts to future‑proof blockchains against quantum threats, balancing early deployment, standards compliance, and phased access to validators as the technology and threat timeline evolve.
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