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The Ethereum Foundation has made post-quantum security a top priority, signaling the move from research to real-world implementation.
The EF announced the creation of a new Post Quantum team with $2 million in funding, driven by fears that advances in quantum computing could break current blockchain cryptography sooner than expected. Ethereum researcher Justin Drake confirmed the change, noting that work on quantum resistance began as early as 2019, but has now entered an active construction and testing phase.
The new team will be led by Thomas Coratger, engineer from the Ethereum Foundation, in collaboration with Emile from the leanVM team. Their role includes research, protocol design, and testing infrastructure to prepare Ethereum for future quantum threats. Developer coordination is also increasing, with bi-weekly “All Core Devs – Post Quantum” calls hosted by Antonio Sanso to discuss progress and security issues encountered by users.
Today marks a shift in the Ethereum Foundation’s long-term quantum strategy.
We have formed a new Post Quantum (PQ) team, led by the brilliant Thomas Coratger (@tcoratger). He is accompanied by Emile, one of the world-class talents behind leanVM. leanVM is the cryptographic…
– Justin Drake (@drakefjustin) January 23, 2026
To support stronger crypto, the foundation announced two million-dollar research awards. The new Poseidon Prize will focus on improving the security of the Poseidon hash function, while the existing Proximity Prize will continue to fund research into hash-based cryptography, widely considered one of the most secure approaches against quantum attacks.
Ethereum prepares for quantum threats
Post-quantum work is already underway in the Ethereum ecosystem. Teams such as Zeam, Ream Labs, PierTwo, Gean client and Ethlambda work with leading Ethereum consensus clients such as Lighthouse, Grandine and Prysm. These groups hold weekly meetings to ensure their systems remain compatible.
The foundation is also planning in-person collaboration, including a three-day expert workshop in October and a Post-Quantum Developer Day on March 29 in Cannes ahead of EthCC. Opinions in the crypto industry differ on the urgency of the quantum threat. Some think this is a short-term risk, while others think it will take several more decades.
However, Ethereum executives, including Vitalik Buterin, have warned that quantum breakthroughs could come before 2030. To help the network prepare, the Ethereum Foundation plans to publish a clear transition guide on pq.ethereum.org that outlines how Ethereum can become quantum-resistant without downtime or loss of funds.
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