Overview
- Circle, which published the roadmap Monday, set a phased plan for Arc that upgrades wallets, private state, validators, and core infrastructure across the full stack.
- At mainnet launch, Arc will let wallet users opt in to post-quantum signature schemes so they can move at their own pace without a forced migration.
- In the short term, Arc will use private virtual machines to keep sensitive on-chain data private even if future quantum computers can break current encryption.
- Later phases will strengthen validator authentication and modernize supporting systems, including upgrades that use the TLS 1.3 protocol to protect data in transit.
- Circle cites the “collect now, decrypt later” risk as a key driver for early action, and it has not announced an exact mainnet date for Arc, which is EVM-compatible for easier developer adoption.