Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a “quantum roadmap” to protect the blockchain from the potential threat of encryption-cracking quantum computers. The plan suggests updating the network’s cryptography, with at least one change possibly included in a major upgrade expected later this year. The Ethereum Foundation has established a dedicated post-quantum team and is offering a $1 million prize for related cryptographic research.
Vitalik Buterin proposed a “quantum roadmap” to protect Ethereum from future quantum computers. The roadmap outlines changes to quantum-vulnerable parts of the blockchain.
Buterin has previously warned quantum computers could break Ethereum’s security before the 2028 U.S. presidential election. His technical proposals include updating the cryptography that currently secures the network.
At least one proposed change could be implemented soon. Developers are debating including “frame transactions” in a forthcoming upgrade dubbed Hegota.
Frame transactions would offer a more robust version of account abstraction. “It’s also for us the most important one, because of the readiness for the post-quantum world,” said Ethereum Foundation developer Felix Lange.
Adding this feature would give users “first-class accounts that can use any signature algorithm,” Buterin wrote. This includes algorithms resistant to quantum computers.
The Ethereum Foundation recently established a post-quantum team after years of research. It also announced a new $1 million prize for hardening quantum-resistant cryptography.
Foundation researcher Justin Drake said work is underway on a website detailing a full post-quantum transition strategy. The goal is “zero loss of funds and zero downtime.”
Drake emphasized the decentralized nature of Ethereum decision-making in a separate strawman roadmap. “An ‘official’ roadmap reflecting all Ethereum stakeholders is effectively impossible,” he wrote.
