Justin Sun says TRON post-quantum cryptography can move to mainnet

TRON holds approximately 95 billion dollars in stablecoins, and its founder says its post-quantum cryptography can move to the mainnet at any time without a set date.

The Tech TL;DR:

• TRON’s post-quantum cryptography is currently operating on its testnet following a software upgrade deployed on June 30.
• The implementation supports Falcon-based FN-DSA-512 and Dilithium-based ML-DSA-44 signature schemes, which significantly increase transaction data sizes compared to current standards.
• While a previous roadmap targeted a third-quarter mainnet rollout, no activation date has been established for production deployment.

TRON Activates Post-Quantum Cryptography on Nile Testnet

Network founder Justin Sun announced via social media that TRON’s post-quantum cryptography is active on the testnet, though he did not provide a timeline for mainnet integration. The Nile testnet has supported two post-quantum signature schemes since a software upgrade on June 30. This implementation covers transactions, block signatures, peer-to-peer handshakes, and smart contract verification. On the testnet, each scheme is activated via a separate committee vote, with FN-DSA-512 released to developers first in July.

The upgrade introduces significant byte overhead to the network infrastructure. FN-DSA-512 signatures scale up to 667 bytes, while ML-DSA-44 signatures reach a fixed 2,420 bytes. These figures contrast sharply with TRON’s current signature footprint of approximately 64 to 72 bytes. Managing larger signatures directly impacts bandwidth and storage capacity across a blockchain network hosting nearly 95 billion dollars in stablecoin volume, which consists almost entirely of Tether (USDT).

Mainnet Rollout Shifts to Before End of 2026

An April roadmap targeted a second-quarter testnet deployment and a third-quarter mainnet rollout ending September 30. By August, the target shifted to a network-wide upgrade before the end of 2026. Despite these projections, the third quarter concluded without a mainnet release, and governance activation still requires a dedicated voting process.

The urgency behind post-quantum cryptography stems from the hypothetical threat of quantum computers breaking elliptic curve cryptography used by major networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Ethereum researcher Justin Drake estimates the probability of quantum breakthroughs before the early 2030s is small but non-negligible, emphasizing that attack timelines remain probabilistic. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao noted earlier in the year that the industry can address the risk through algorithmic upgrades without immediate panic.

Disclaimer: The technical analyses and security protocols detailed in this article are for informational purposes only. Always consult with certified IT and cybersecurity professionals before altering enterprise networks or handling sensitive data.