BNB Chain Quantum Defense Works In Test, But Transactions Become Much Slower

BNB Chain just tested new security that would protect it from future super-powerful quantum computers. It worked, but the network ran about 40% slower because the new security made every transaction much bigger.

The BNB Chain team shared the results in a report this week. The new code passed the test, but each transaction grew about 35 times larger than before, which clogged the network during stress runs.

Bigger Signatures Mean Smaller Blocks

Each transaction needs a digital signature to prove it is real. Today that signature is 65 bytes. With the new quantum-safe method, the signature jumps to 2,420 bytes.

The change is needed because future quantum computers could one day crack the math behind most modern blockchains.

Bigger signatures take up more space in each block. Speed dropped from 4,973 transactions per second to 2,997 in cross-region tests. That hits BNB Chain’s stated TPS goals for the year.

Smart contract activity slowed less, since those transactions are already large.

The Voting Part Still Works Fast

Validators are the computers that approve new blocks. Their voting system uses a clever trick that squeezes six votes into one short proof.

The total goes from 14.5 KB down to about 340 bytes, a 43-to-1 squeeze. That kept the voting fast, and most blocks were confirmed in about two slots.

“Post-quantum readiness is achievable on BSC today, with data size growth and network constraints as the main trade-offs,” read an excerpt in the report.

The slowest 1% of confirmations took up to 11 slots in cross-region tests. Larger blocks take longer to travel between regions, which caused the delay.

BNB Chain said it needs to fix the speed and data problems before turning this on for all Binance users.

Other parts of the system still need quantum-safe upgrades. The report said some of that work needs help from the wider Ethereum community.