Quantaureum is an open, public blockchain whose reference client is developed in the open on GitHub.
The idea behind Quantaureum is simple. While earlier blockchains let you send and receive digital value, Quantaureum is built around smart contracts — open-source programs that run on the network itself.
Smart contracts let anyone create their own digital assets and applications that run 24/7, globally. And unlike banks or corporations, they are available to anyone with an internet connection.
Quantaureum was designed for one more thing: accounts that stay secure against quantum computers. It replaces the elliptic-curve signatures used by earlier chains with NIST-standard post-quantum cryptography.
Collectively, this ecosystem is called "web3", representing the third phase of the internet centered around ownership.
The network is designed to let users send value and run applications without a trusted intermediary, with parallel execution and sharding built in from the start.
At the heart of all this is Quantaureum's native token QAU, a digital asset used to power the whole network.
What is the Quantaureum network?
You can think of the Quantaureum network as a global digital infrastructure that anyone can use but nobody can abuse.
The network is made up of independent computers around the world called nodes. These nodes, run by regular people, work together to process transactions and run applications for anyone, anywhere.
The Quantaureum network has 3 key advantages over traditional networks owned by institutions. These are censorship resistance, enhanced security and improved reliability.
Censorship resistant
While traditional apps and financial services rely on banks or corporations that can decide to block access or freeze accounts, applications on Quantaureum are censorship resistant.
This is because Quantaureum's network of nodes records every single transaction without discrimination — and this rule is embedded in the code.
Quantum-safe security
While many apps today are hosted on cloud providers and can be vulnerable to takedowns and attacks, applications on Quantaureum are secured by the network itself. Every node stores and syncs the state of Quantaureum.
If someone tried to change a contract, the network would reject it since it wouldn't match their records. And unlike earlier chains, every signature on Quantaureum is already post-quantum: there is no legacy cryptography left to attack.
Durable and reliable
Downtime on cloud hosting platforms can take apps offline, but Quantaureum's design targets uninterrupted operation. The network keeps running even if some nodes go offline due to software bugs, hardware failure, or natural disaster.
As a young network, Quantaureum is still growing. Its capacity is designed to scale through parallel execution, sharding and rollup support, so the network can grow with demand.
Scaling without moving away
Many networks push growth onto separate layer 2 networks. Quantaureum takes a different approach: its scaling roadmap targets parallel execution, sharding and built-in rollup support as part of the layer 1 protocol itself, rather than offloading users to external networks.
You can read more about these designs in the developer documentation.
Learn more about the Quantaureum network
What is QAU?
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How does Quantaureum work?
Quantaureum runs on a proof-of-stake system called QPOS (Quantum Proof of Stake).
There is no mining. Instead, validators lock QAU as a security deposit for the right to process transactions and propose blocks.
Finality comes from threshold signatures: a block is finalized when a committee of validators signs it together (GM-QTD), so no single key can forge it.
If validators act honestly, they earn QAU rewards. If they break the rules, part of their stake is slashed.
Here's an example:
When you send $10 in stablecoins to a friend on Quantaureum:
- You open your wallet, add the account address to send to and the amount, then click send.
- Your wallet signs the payment with a post-quantum ML-DSA-65 signature and broadcasts it to the network.
- The payment waits in the public queue (mempool) until a block proposer picks it.
- The block proposer adds it to the next block of transactions, broadcasts it, and earns a fee.
- The stablecoin contract moves $10 from you to your friend, and both wallets update.
- The validator committee double-checks the block and co-signs it, making the transfer final.
When you mint a $5 collectible on Quantaureum:
- You connect your wallet to the app and choose the item to mint.
- You confirm the purchase; the wallet signs and broadcasts the transaction.
- The mint request joins the mempool and is added to a block by a validator.
- The collectible's smart contract records your wallet as the new owner.
- Your new collectible appears in your wallet a few seconds later.
This is all possible thanks to the power of smart contracts; open-source programs that live on Quantaureum and run 24/7, 365, accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Every transaction, update, and action is synced across independent nodes. This gives Quantaureum its reliability, transparency, and censorship resistance.
Learn more about how Quantaureum works Read developer docs for a technical overview of Quantaureum (opens in a new tab)
What is Quantaureum used for?
People use blockchains to do things that weren't possible before.
Smart contracts let value move under public rules instead of private policies: payments without a bank, agreements that execute themselves, records that no operator can quietly rewrite.
These applications and assets run on Quantaureum using open-source code and can't be restricted, censored or turned off.
As a young network, Quantaureum's ecosystem is still forming. Here's what the network makes possible:
Individuals
Anyone can use applications on Quantaureum to move money, trade, and own digital assets. Unlike traditional apps, there's no need to register with your name, wait for a bank to approve you, or hand over your personal data.
With just a wallet and an internet connection you can:
- Access financial services without a bank account or credit history
- Own digital collectibles, art, and assets that can't be copied or confiscated
- Sign into apps using your wallet, not your email — no passwords, no personal information necessary
- Participate in global communities where you can vote, contribute, and earn borderlessly
Businesses & developers
- Launch applications with a built-in global payment rail from day one
- Deploy tamper-proof contracts that automatically enforce agreements
- Create financial products that anyone can build on and drive value to
There is no application process to build on Quantaureum — the network is open to any team, anywhere.
Institutions
Public infrastructure that anyone can audit appeals to public institutions for the same reason it appeals to individuals: the rules are in the open.
- Distribute public funds and benefits with full transparency
- Issue verifiable records — IDs, licenses, certificates — that are portable across borders
- Build tamper-proof registries for voting, land titles, and public records
These are design possibilities of open ledgers in general — Quantaureum makes them available with post-quantum security.
As the ecosystem grows, the network provides a neutral, auditable foundation that any public institution can build on.
How to start using Quantaureum
Getting started with Quantaureum is easier than you might think.
You don't need permission. You don't need a bank or even an ID document. All you need to get started is a device and an internet connection.
What's the difference between Quantaureum and Bitcoin?
Bitcoin and Quantaureum are both open, public blockchains.
They both let you send value without a bank, and both are open to anyone. But that's where the similarities end.
Bitcoin is like digital gold.
It has a fixed supply of 21 million coins, a narrow focus on peer-to-peer payments, and a basic scripting language that limits what you can build with it. This simplicity is by design since Bitcoin prioritizes predictability, durability, and long-term security over flexibility.
Quantaureum takes a broader approach.
It's not just money, it's programmable infrastructure. Instead of just sending and receiving value, Quantaureum lets developers build entire applications — powered by smart contracts on the QVM engine and secured by post-quantum signatures.
The two networks also differ in how they stay secure.
Bitcoin uses miners to secure the network. These are powerful computers that compete to solve a complex puzzle, and the winner gets to add the next block of transactions to the chain and claim bitcoins as a reward. This process is called mining and it uses large amounts of electricity.
Quantaureum uses proof of stake. Transactions are confirmed by validators who lock up QAU as collateral, and blocks are finalized by a threshold signature of the validator committee. Honest validators earn QAU rewards while dishonest ones lose part of their stake. No mining hardware, no energy race — and every signature is post-quantum from day one.
There's also a difference in how supply is handled.
Bitcoin has a fixed supply. There will only ever be 21 million coins. Quantaureum instead issued an initial supply at genesis and mints additional QAU as staking rewards, so its supply grows through protocol-designed issuance rather than staying fixed forever.
Staking rewards come only from the protocol — no individual or entity can mint QAU manually. As more QAU is staked, rewards per validator adjust, creating a natural balance.
In short, Bitcoin is a tool for sending value. Quantaureum is a platform for building it.
Learn more about the difference between Quantaureum and Bitcoin
When did Quantaureum start, who built it, and who runs it now?
Quantaureum started as a one-person engineering project.
On February 28, 2025, its author began building a Layer 1 blockchain from zero — cryptography, consensus, virtual machine, networking, storage and RPC — with one goal: a public chain that stays secure against quantum computers without giving up smart contracts.
The design settled on NIST-standardized post-quantum primitives — ML-DSA-65 signatures (FIPS 204, derived from CRYSTALS-Dilithium) and ML-KEM-768 key encapsulation (FIPS 203, derived from CRYSTALS-Kyber) — paired with the QPOS consensus, threshold-signature finality and the QVM execution engine.
A devnet, a public testnet, and the Quantaureum mainnet are all live. Mainnet runs on chain ID 1668 and is secured by QPOS validators.
Key moments in Quantaureum's history
- Feb 28, 2025: The project begins — an independent developer starts building a Layer 1 blockchain from zero in Go, covering cryptography, consensus, virtual machine, networking, storage and RPC
- 2025: The cryptographic core is locked in: ML-DSA-65 signatures and ML-KEM-768 key encapsulation (NIST FIPS 204/203, derived from CRYSTALS-Dilithium/Kyber), with QPOS consensus and GM-QTD threshold finality
- 2026: Public testnet release candidate 0.1.0-testnet-rc1 ships with QVM JIT compilation, followed by the full open-source release of the codebase and the launch of Quantaureum mainnet on chain ID 1668
Today, no single person or company runs Quantaureum — the network runs by its own protocol, and anyone can join.
The network is kept alive by its participants:
- Developers who write and propose upgrades
- Node operators contributing physical infrastructure
- Validators and stakers who process and finalize transactions
- Community members who build the tools and culture
- You, by using the network
There is no foundation, no VC, and no central authority. Development happens in the open, and the codebase is public on GitHub.
Changes are proposed and discussed publicly, and adopted only when the community supports them.
This makes Quantaureum slower to change than a startup, but also much harder to shut down or take over.
Learn more about Quantaureum's historyWhat is the Quantaureum roadmap?
Quantaureum doesn't follow a fixed calendar. It follows a public roadmap.
Work is published as it ships: security hardening, scaling, privacy, user experience and state efficiency, each with its own page.
You can follow the roadmap to see where the protocol is heading next.
Looking ahead (opens in a new tab), Quantaureum's priorities include:
- Making the network faster and cheaper for everyone
- Improving the experience for users and developers
These priorities will help ensure Quantaureum is secure, scalable and user friendly as more people rely on the network every day.
If you want to steer the direction for Quantaureum, get involved. You don't need permission, just the desire to make a difference.
See an overview of the Quantaureum roadmap