Quantum threat moves from theory to engineering — and Ethereum is racing to harden its cryptography. What was once a distant, mostly academic worry has suddenly become an engineering priority for major players in the Ethereum ecosystem. This month the Ethereum Foundation (EF) formally made post-quantum (PQ) security a strategic priority and publicly announced a dedicated PQ team led by Thomas Coratger. Coratger, who had quietly been running PQ research inside the Foundation for the past year, says the shift reflects a fast-changing timeline: “Quantum computing is moving from theory into engineering. That changes the timeline, and it means we need to prepare.” Why this matters Modern blockchains rely on signature schemes that are extremely efficient today but could be vulnerable to future quantum algorithms. Ethereum’s consensus layer in particular depends on a system that aggregates thousands of validator approvals into compact proofs — a design that preserves performance but would be hard to replicate with many of today’s post-quantum signature candidates. “That system works incredibly well today,” Coratger said. “But the post-quantum alternatives don’t have the same properties. Figuring out how to make them work at Ethereum’s scale is a major challenge.” leanVM: engineering around the limits of PQ crypto To meet that challenge, the EF is building leanVM, a specialized software layer intended to compress or combine many post-quantum approvals into a single on-chain proof so Ethereum’s throughput and storage aren’t overwhelmed by bulkier PQ signatures. The technology is complex under the hood, but the motivation is simple: keep Ethereum running smoothly even if the cryptography underneath changes. Coratger also confirmed testnets are already running with post-quantum signatures, demonstrating the team is moving beyond theory to practical experiments. An industry-wide wake-up Ethereum’s push is part of a broader industry trend. Coinbase has set up an independent quantum advisory board of cryptographers to guide long-term security strategy for custodial infrastructure, and Optimism — one of Ethereum’s largest Layer-2 networks — published a formal 10-year roadmap to migrate its Superchain stack (wallets, sequencers, etc.) toward post-quantum cryptography. These moves signal that PQ security is no longer a fringe conversation; it’s shaping roadmaps, governance, and coordination across ecosystems. Not an emergency — but acting now Coratger is careful to stress urgency without panic: Ethereum is not in immediate danger, and the goal is to complete migrations well before quantum hardware becomes a practical threat. Still, rapid advances in quantum research motivate early action. “New breakthroughs are happening all the time,” he noted. “Sometimes it’s hard to keep up.” The EF is collaborating with external researchers and developers to accelerate tools, proofs and upgrades so a coordinated transition can happen smoothly if needed. Bottom line Post-quantum security has crossed a critical threshold from academic speculation to long-term engineering work. For Ethereum and its ecosystem partners, the race is on to design, test and standardize solutions — like leanVM and PQ signatures on testnets — that maintain performance and security in a post-quantum world. The aim is clear: avoid being caught flat-footed if quantum computing arrives sooner than expected. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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