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Ethereum Foundation makes post quantum security a top priority as new team forms

What to know:

  • The Ethereum Foundation has elevated post-quantum security to a top strategic priority, forming a dedicated Post Quantum team led by Thomas Coratger with support from leanVM cryptographer Emile.
  • Researcher Justin Drake said Ethereum is shifting from background research to active engineering, including biweekly developer sessions on post-quantum transactions and multi-client post-quantum consensus test networks.
  • The foundation is backing new cryptography with funding and outreach, launching two $1 million prizes, planning post-quantum community events and education, and stressing that blockchains must prepare early for quantum threats despite their long-term nature.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF), a nonprofit organization that supports Ethereum’s development, is turning its long running post quantum research into a public engineering push, forming a dedicated Post Quantum team and calling the effort a top strategic priority for the network.

EF researcher Justin Drake said the new group will be led by Thomas Coratger, with support from Emile, who Drake described as a key talent behind "leanVM."

Drake framed leanVM as a core part of Ethereum’s broader approach to post quantum security, arguing that timelines are accelerating and that Ethereum should move into a build phase rather than keep work in the background.

The announcement comes as crypto markets have become more sensitive to quantum risk headlines, even if the practical threat remains a longer dated problem.

Quantum computing uses new types of processors that could one day break today’s encryption much faster than normal computers. Blockchain developers worry it could eventually expose wallet keys, forcing networks to upgrade cryptography well before that risk becomes real.

The bigger issue for large networks is not a single breakthrough moment but the time it takes to ship a safe transition, update wallets and move users onto new formats without breaking daily usage.

Drake outlined several near term steps. A bi weekly developer session focused on post quantum transactions is expected to start next month, led by Antonio Sanso. The agenda is aimed at user facing defenses, including dedicated cryptographic tools inside the protocol, account abstraction paths and longer term work on aggregating transaction signatures using leanVM.

EF is also putting money behind cryptography research. Drake said it is announcing a $1 million Poseidon Prize to harden the Poseidon hash function and pointed to another $1 million post quantum initiative called the Proximity Prize.

On the engineering side, Drake said multi client post quantum consensus dev networks are already running, with multiple teams participating and weekly interoperability calls to coordinate.

Ethereum plans more community work as well. Drake said the EF will host a post quantum event in October and a post quantum day in late March ahead of EthCC, alongside education efforts that include a video series and enterprise focused materials.

Others in the ecosystem echoed the urgency. Pantera Capital XX Franklin Bi argued that traditional finance could take years to upgrade systems, while blockchains may be able to coordinate a full stack software transition faster.

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