Ethereum Foundation Forms Post-Quantum Security Team

• Ethereum elevates post-quantum security as a strategic priority with $2M funding for research and developer coordination.

• Thomas Coratger leads multi-client devnets and weekly calls to prepare Ethereum for quantum-safe consensus and transactions.

• $2M in prizes and workshops incentivize cryptographic research, formal proofs, and a zero-downtime post-quantum transition plan.

The Ethereum Foundation announced the launch of a dedicated Post-Quantum security team to address emerging cryptographic risks. The initiative was confirmed in 2026 by foundation leadership and places long-term network security at the center. Thomas Coratger will lead the effort, which focuses on preparing Ethereum for future quantum computing threats through coordinated research and implementation.

Post-Quantum Security Elevated to Strategic Priority

The Ethereum Foundation formally elevated post-quantum security to a top strategic priority after years of internal research. The decision shows accelerating timelines in quantum computing development.

The work builds on research first presented in 2019 during StarkWare Sessions. Post-quantum planning became central to Ethereum’s lean roadmap in 2024. Since then, engineering progress has advanced rapidly across cryptographic design and client development.

The foundation allocated approximately $2 million to support early execution and coordination. This funding supports research, tooling, and developer alignment across the ecosystem.

Engineering Coordination and Network Testing Expand

Thomas Coratger will oversee the new team, with Emile joining from the leanVM project. LeanVM now serves as the cryptographic foundation for Ethereum’s post-quantum transition. Antonio Sanso will lead bi-weekly All Core Devs breakout calls starting next month.

These sessions will focus on transaction signatures, account abstraction, and precompile design. Meanwhile, multi-client post-quantum consensus devnets are already live. Teams involved include Zeam, Ream Labs, PierTwo, Gean Client, and Ethlambda Lean. Lighthouse and Grandine have joined, while Prysm is expected soon. Weekly interoperability calls, coordinated by Will Corcoran, aim to align implementations.

Research Incentives and Education Support Transition

The foundation announced a $1 million Poseidon Prize to harden the Poseidon hash function. This effort targets cryptographic primitives used in zero-knowledge systems. Another $1 million Proximity Prize continues to fund broader post-quantum research.

Artificial intelligence has already assisted formal cryptographic proofs at low cost. Additionally, the foundation will host a three-day post-quantum workshop in October. A separate post-quantum day is scheduled for March 29 in Cannes, ahead of EthCC. A detailed roadmap will appear on pq.ethereum.org, outlining a zero-downtime transition plan.