The Ethereum Foundation is accelerating Ethereum’s transition to post-quantum cryptography amid advances in quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI). Developers aim to implement new security mechanisms across all 3 layers of the blockchain network by December 2028.
Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake presented an updated roadmap for modernizing Ethereum’s cryptographic infrastructure under the Mission 2028 initiative. The changes will affect transaction processing, block validation, and data availability verification. The work was previously scheduled for completion with the LAR upgrade, but developers now expect to implement the changes by JAR, about 1.5 years ahead of the original schedule.
In September 2025, Ethereum developers introduced a strategic roadmap for the blockchain network’s development over the next 10 years. The plan was expanded in February 2026 to include 7 hard forks and 5 key technical development milestones, including the adoption of post-quantum cryptography.
According to Drake, the accelerated transition reflects growing risks to existing cryptographic algorithms. Since March, security researchers have reported 895 potential security issues to Ethereum client developers, 500 of which were confirmed as actual vulnerabilities. In response, the Ethereum Foundation doubled the size of its security team and brought in researchers specializing in artificial intelligence.
Another concern is the approaching Q-Day, the point at which quantum computers will be capable of breaking modern cryptographic algorithms. Drake estimates a 10% probability of Q-Day occurring by 2029 and considers 2032 the most likely year.
Quantum computing technology is advancing faster than previously forecast. More than 100 participants in the ECDSA.fail project used artificial intelligence to optimize quantum circuits used in Shor’s algorithm. According to a study published in September 2026, they reduced the combined computational cost metric by more than half compared with Google’s results presented in March.
Under Mission 2028, developers plan to introduce post-quantum protection across Ethereum’s 3 main layers:
- Execution Layer (EL). Introducing post-quantum transactions by replacing the ECDSA digital signature algorithm with leanSphincs.
- Consensus Layer (CL). Transitioning from BLS to leanXMSS to secure validator attestations.
- Data Layer (DL). Replacing KZG with leanDA for post-quantum data availability verification.
The new mechanisms will rely on hash-based cryptography and formal verification of software code. Developers are considering SHA-3/Keccak as the primary cryptographic solution, whose security has been studied for more than 10 years.
The leanVM virtual machine will play a central role in the modernization effort, allowing multiple cryptographic signatures and proofs to be combined into a single compact proof. According to Drake, the project has already reached the stage of end-to-end formal verification, which makes it possible to mathematically verify that software code meets specified requirements.
The Mission 2028 roadmap calls for the Glamsterdam upgrade to launch on the Ethereum mainnet in January 2027. Developers then expect to implement 3 major protocol upgrades and complete the transition to post-quantum cryptography by December 2028. The technical components of the new system are expected to be ready by the end of 2027.
The changes will also affect ecosystem participants. Validators are advised to move away from legacy 0x00 withdrawal credentials, while application developers should review their systems’ dependencies on ECDSA. Wallet developers will need to add support for Frame Transactions, a new transaction mechanism required to implement post-quantum signatures.
Developers also addressed potential risks for ETH holders. According to the assessment, 72% of Ethereum’s total supply is held at addresses that have signed at least 1 transaction. Because the public keys associated with these addresses have already been exposed, they could become vulnerable to quantum attacks in the future.
To reduce the potential risk, Drake suggested moving funds to new addresses that haven’t been used to send transactions. In such cases, the public key remains hidden behind a hash. Another option is to use Frame Transactions with smart contracts that verify leanSphincs post-quantum signatures. However, until leanVM is integrated directly into the protocol, this approach will involve additional transaction fees.
Previously, Vitalik Buterin announced plans for a major simplification of Ethereum’s base-layer architecture, including a transition to a new virtual machine by 2030 and extensive technical changes.
