Sui is preparing to add two post-quantum signature schemes as part of a broader effort to protect accounts and smart contracts against future quantum-computing threats. The network plans to support ML-DSA-65 for native user accounts and SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s for high-value smart contract vaults, giving developers and users two cryptographic approaches built on different security assumptions.
The upgrade is designed to be additive rather than disruptive. Sui says existing users will be able to derive a quantum-safe key from their current recovery phrase using a new derivation path, while Address Aliases will allow an account to change its authorization key without changing its address or transferring its assets. That approach is intended to avoid forcing users through a large-scale wallet migration as post-quantum support becomes available.
Two Signature Schemes Target Different Use Cases
For everyday accounts, Sui plans to integrate ML-DSA-65 directly into the protocol as a native signature option. ML-DSA is the lattice-based digital signature standard defined by NIST under FIPS 204. Sui selected the ML-DSA-65 parameter set to provide additional security margin while retaining verification performance suitable for routine transactions.
High-value vaults will instead use SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s inside Move smart contracts. SLH-DSA, standardized under NIST FIPS 205, relies on hash-based cryptography rather than the lattice assumptions behind ML-DSA. Using two mathematically distinct signature families reduces Sui’s dependence on a single post-quantum approach, while implementing the vault option at the smart contract level provides additional flexibility as cryptographic standards evolve.
Mainnet Rollout Targeted Through Early 2027
Sui says the core implementation has already been built and benchmarked, but the post-quantum features are not yet a finished, fully audited release. Quantum-safe vaults are targeted for Mainnet before the end of 2026, while native ML-DSA-65 accounts are expected to reach Testnet during the same period. Full native post-quantum account authentication is currently targeted for Mainnet in Q1 2027. Wallet, SDK and command-line support are expected to arrive alongside the rollout.
The schedule remains provisional. Independent audits are underway, and Sui says deployment dates could change based on security reviews and Testnet feedback. Existing accounts and applications do not need to make immediate changes, with the new authentication methods planned as optional additions similar to Sui’s previous rollout of zkLogin and passkeys. The network is therefore treating quantum readiness as a gradual security transition rather than an immediate replacement of its current authentication infrastructure.
NIST finalized ML-DSA and SLH-DSA as federal post-quantum digital signature standards in August 2024, describing them as part of the foundation for migration away from cryptography that could eventually become vulnerable to sufficiently powerful quantum computers. Sui’s roadmap brings those standardized schemes directly into its account and smart contract architecture, although their production deployment will depend on the completion of testing and independent review.