The Ethereum Foundation has created a dedicated post-quantum team as it accelerates defenses against future quantum computing threats to blockchain security.
Senior researcher Justin Drake said on Saturday that leadership elevated post-quantum security to a top strategic priority after years of quiet internal research. The foundation appointed cryptographic engineer Thomas Coratger to lead the effort, with support from Emile, a specialist tied to the leanVM project.
LeanVM serves as a minimalist virtual machine for zero-knowledge proofs and relies on hash-based signatures designed to resist quantum attacks. Drake said timelines now feel tighter, and he urged the ecosystem to move fully toward quantum-safe infrastructure.
Additionally, the foundation committed fresh capital to stimulate research, launching a USD$1 million Poseidon Prize tied to core cryptographic primitives. That award complements a USD$1 million Proximity Prize announced last year to support broader post-quantum cryptography development.
On the engineering front, client teams have already deployed experimental post-quantum consensus networks for early testing. Meanwhile, Lighthouse and Grandine operate post-quantum developer networks, while Prysm plans to join the effort next. Developers will also begin biweekly sessions focused on post-quantum transaction formats, led by researcher Antonio Sanso.
Further, the foundation scheduled a three-day technical workshop in October to coordinate researchers and client teams. It also plans a dedicated post-quantum session ahead of the EthCC conference in March. The announcement arrives as concern around quantum readiness spreads across the broader crypto industry.
On Wednesday, Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN) formed an independent advisory board to study quantum risks to blockchain systems. Additionally, the board includes Drake alongside Stanford cryptographer Dan Boneh and University of Texas professor Scott Aaronson.
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Quantum computing poses risks to digital assets
The move follows Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s recent “walkaway test” framework for long-term network resilience. Buterin described quantum resistance as a non-negotiable requirement if Ethereum ever needed to operate without core developers. He has also estimated a one-in-five chance that cryptography-breaking quantum machines could appear before 2030.
Consequently, some traditional finance voices now treat quantum computing as a material risk to digital assets. Last week, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) strategist Christopher Wood removed a 10 per cent bitcoin allocation from his model portfolio.
Wood cited quantum computing as an existential threat to current cryptographic standards protecting major blockchains. However, analysts note Ethereum may face fewer governance hurdles than bitcoin when implementing quantum-resistant upgrades.
Bitcoin would likely require a highly contentious hard fork to change its core security model. Conversely, Ethereum’s account abstraction roadmap allows users to migrate cryptography at the wallet level over time. That design gives developers a clearer path to transition security assumptions before quantum hardware reaches maturity.
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