The Ethereum Foundation has officially declared post-quantum (PQ) security a top strategic priority, forming a dedicated team and committing $2 million in funding to harden the network against future quantum computing threats. The foundation's move marks a significant escalation from theoretical research to active development, driven by assessments that the timeline for quantum threats to blockchains is accelerating, potentially arriving within years rather than decades.
The newly formed Post-Quantum team is led by Thomas Coratger and includes Emile, a core contributor to leanVM—a minimalist virtual machine designed for zero-knowledge proofs. Prominent Ethereum researcher Justin Drake announced the team's formation, stating it represents an "inflection" in the foundation's long-term quantum strategy, which has been in development since a 2019 presentation at StarkWare Sessions.
The foundation is launching a multi-pronged offensive against the quantum threat. Development efforts include the launch of multi-client post-quantum consensus test networks, with teams like Zeam, Ream Labs, PierTwo, Gean client, and Ethlambda working alongside established clients Lighthouse, Grandine, and Prysm. Starting next month, Antonio Sanso will lead bi-weekly "All Core Devs Post Quantum" breakout calls focusing on user-facing security, including dedicated precompiles, account abstraction, and transaction signature aggregation using leanVM to bundle digital signatures, making data smaller and harder for a quantum machine to manipulate.
A significant portion of the $2 million commitment is allocated to prize competitions. The newly launched "Poseidon Prize" offers $1 million for hardening the Poseidon hash function, a critical component for Ethereum's privacy tools. Another $1 million is available through the existing "Proximity Prize" to drive hash-based cryptography research. "We are betting big on hash-based cryptography to enjoy the strongest and leanest cryptographic foundations," Drake stated.
Coordination and research are being heavily prioritized. Weekly post-quantum interoperability calls, coordinated by Will Corcoran, are managing collaborative technical development. The foundation will host a three-day expert workshop in October and a dedicated post-quantum day on March 29 in Cannes ahead of EthCC. Furthermore, the foundation plans to publish detailed strategic guidance on pq.ethereum.org, outlining a full transition plan aimed at achieving zero loss of funds and zero downtime.
The urgency of the quantum threat has divided industry leaders. Independent educator sassal.eth called it "a very real threat for blockchains" coming "sooner than most people think." Pantera Capital's Franklin Bi predicted traditional financial institutions like Wall Street will struggle with the transition, potentially making quantum-resistant blockchains "post-quantum safe havens for data and assets." In contrast, Blockstream CEO Adam Back has dismissed near-term concerns as decades away. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has previously cited Metaculus data showing a median 2040 timeline for quantum computers breaking modern cryptography, with a roughly 20% probability before the end of 2030.
The initiative has broader industry connections. The Ethereum Foundation now has representation on a post-quantum advisory board recently announced by Coinbase, which brings together leading cryptography researchers to assess long-term blockchain security risks.
