TL;DR
- Sui is preparing two NIST-standardized post-quantum signature systems for different account types without forcing asset migration.
- Users will be able to change the cryptography protecting their accounts while keeping the same address, thanks to the Address Aliases system.
- High-value vaults will reach Mainnet before the end of 2026; native ML-DSA-65 accounts are expected on mainnet by Q1 2027.
Sui is designing a transition mechanism toward cryptography resistant to quantum computers that will allow users to update the signature protecting their accounts without needing to move assets to a new address. The network plans to incorporate two NIST-standardized schemes: ML-DSA-65, defined under FIPS 204, for normal accounts, and SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s, under FIPS 205, for high-value vaults implemented through Move smart contracts.
Both systems are designed to withstand the attacks that large-scale quantum computers could eventually execute, capable of compromising the elliptic curve signatures used today across the crypto industry.
Making Sui quantum ready: Sui is adding two NIST-approved quantum-resistant signature schemes. One for everyday accounts, one for high-value Move vaults.
Existing accounts can rotate to a quantum-safe key derived from their recovery phrase. Same address, and funds stay put.
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) August 6, 2026
Changing the Key without Leaving the Account
The most delicate point of any cryptographic upgrade on a blockchain is migration: it normally involves creating a new address, transferring tokens, NFTs and other assets, and readjusting applications and contracts linked to the previous address. Sui bypasses that obstacle through its Address Aliases system, which allows authorized signers to be associated with an existing account.
A post-quantum signer can be added to that set and, over time, become the sole party authorized to approve transactions, while the original address remains active as the sender. The existing recovery phrase can generate the new key through a separate derivation path, without requiring a different backup method.
However, the system entails a clear responsibility: an authorized alias has full control over the account’s assets. Sui’s documentation warns that wallet software will need to make the migration process difficult to use incorrectly or maliciously.
Why Sui Is Betting on Two Post-Quantum Systems
ML-DSA-65 is a lattice-based scheme and corresponds to NIST’s security category 3, offering a greater margin than lower configurations without sacrificing practicality for frequent verifications. For vaults, SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s is based on hash functions, a distinct cryptographic family that reduces dependence on a single mathematical foundation.
If a weakness were discovered in one of the schemes, the other would remain intact. The recent discovery of a vulnerability in HAWK — another post-quantum candidate — through automated analysis assisted by artificial intelligence reinforced the logic of not concentrating all security in a single design.
The cost of this upgrade is signature size: an ML-DSA-65 signature takes up 3,309 bytes compared to the 64 bytes of a standard Ed25519 signature. SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s produces signatures of 7,856 bytes. Larger transactions imply a greater volume of data on the network, although Sui notes that the verification performance of ML-DSA is comparable to that of Ed25519, so the cost per signature should not scale proportionally.
Existing accounts on Sui require no immediate action. Migration is additive and optional, and the system’s own architecture functions as a warning against potential scams: the mechanism described by Sui does not under any circumstances involve sending funds to a new address.
