Solana launches Project Eleven test run to try out crypto that can survive quantum computers

A real testnet pilot, a few partners, and a clear goal

Solana has started a focused testnet pilot called Project Eleven to trial so-called post-quantum or quantum-resistant transaction signatures. The pilot involves a small group of developer teams and node operators who ran transactions on a closed testnet using new signature schemes. The stated aim is simple: prove the network can accept signatures that should remain secure if large quantum computers ever arrive. Project organisers say the change would protect user keys against a future threat while keeping Solana’s fast transaction model intact.

What the pilot actually tested and how it plugs into Solana

Project Eleven was not a mainnet upgrade. It was a sandboxed experiment on a Solana testnet where engineers swapped the usual cryptographic signature layer for post-quantum alternatives. In practice that meant changing the part of the transaction that proves a user owns a key — the digital signature — so validators accept proofs generated by the new schemes.

The pilot used widely discussed post-quantum signature candidates rather than experimental homebrew math. Implementation came in two forms: a hybrid approach that attaches a post-quantum signature alongside the existing Ed25519 signature, and a single post-quantum signature mode for pure testing. Hybrid signatures let the chain verify both the old and new proofs during the transition, which reduces the risk of losing access to existing addresses.

Engineers also had to adapt several integration points. Wallet software needed updates to produce the larger, new signatures. Validator software had to include verification routines for the new algorithms. And because post-quantum signatures are larger than today’s signatures, the pilot tested transaction size handling, block encoding and memory use on leaders and validators.

Finally, the team measured throughput and resource use on a realistic testnet workload. The pilot ran smart-contract interactions, token transfers and stake operations to check that common patterns still worked and to collect raw data on latency and validator CPU cost.

Security gains versus speed and compatibility costs

The obvious upside is future-proofing. If a large enough quantum computer ever materialises, today’s widely used signature schemes could be broken, exposing private keys and enabling theft. Moving to post-quantum signatures would protect users from that class of attack and make Solana one of the first major chains to demonstrate that shift in practice.

That security gain does not come for free. The new signatures are noticeably bigger, so transactions grow in size. On a protocol where bandwidth and block packing matter, larger transactions can reduce the number of transactions per block, push up fees in congested moments, and increase RAM and CPU load for validators. The pilot showed these effects at testnet scale: verification cost rose and throughput dipped in pure post-quantum mode. Hybrid mode softened the hit but still added overhead.

Compatibility is a second headline risk. Wallets, hardware devices and custodians must update their key management stacks and signing flows. Some custodians will be cautious about adopting non-standard signature formats, which could fragment the ecosystem temporarily. The pilot’s hybrid option is a practical bridge: it lets users keep their existing keys while new ones are introduced, but it also adds complexity to user experience and developer tooling.

Solana engineers are testing mitigation techniques — signature aggregation, compression, and off-chain attestation — to hold throughput steady. Those are promising but add implementation complexity and potential new attack surfaces that need careful auditing.

How this could change SOL’s market story

For investors, Project Eleven is a story about positioning rather than immediate value. Showing a working path to quantum-resistant transactions helps Solana claim a leadership spot on long-term security, which can be a positive narrative for serious infrastructure investors and large custodians worried about institutional-grade safety.

That said, the pilot is unlikely to be a near-term price catalyst on its own. The work is technical, adoption is slow, and the real market cares about usable wallets, low fees and dApp momentum. If Project Eleven leads to a clear, time-bound mainnet rollout and major custodians publicly adopt the new keys, sentiment could improve. Conversely, if the rollout drags, adds fees, or splits wallets, the market reaction could be muted or negative.

Overall: the move nudges Solana’s story toward maturity and enterprise-readiness. It is a modest positive for SOL’s long-term narrative, conditional on smooth integration and visible institution-level adoption.

Next steps and the key risks to watch

Project Eleven’s path from testnet to mainnet will be gradual. Expect more testnet cycles, third-party audits, hardware wallet firmware updates, and a staged rollout that may start with hybrid support. A major dependency is the broader standards process: national and international bodies are still finalising post-quantum standards, and vendors will wait for those milestones before fully committing.

Investors should track a few clear risks: implementation bugs that only appear under mainnet load, fractured wallet support, a sustained drop in throughput or higher ongoing fees, and the pace of standardisation. There’s also the strategic risk that other chains implement different standards, producing fragmentation across ecosystems.

In short, Project Eleven is an important technical step that improves Solana’s long-term security posture. It is not a magic bullet and it raises practical trade-offs. For investors, the pilot tilts Solana’s story in a constructive direction — as long as the team can walk the tightrope between stronger security and the fast, low-cost experience users expect today.

Sources

• nist.gov
• prnewswire.com
• cointelegraph.com
• cointelegraph.com
• cointelegraph.com
• cointelegraph.com