Ethereum Foundation Announces Strawmap Roadmap: Seven Upgrades Targeting 10,000 TPS, Quantum Resistance, and Native Privacy Integration

Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake announced on the X platform on behalf of the EF Protocol team the release of a technical coordination document called “Strawmap.” The name combines “strawman” and “roadmap,” emphasizing that it is a “discussion starting point” rather than an official commitment—since in the highly decentralized Ethereum ecosystem, an “official roadmap” cannot truly represent all stakeholders’ opinions.

Introducing strawmap, a strawman roadmap by EF Protocol.

Believe in something. Believe in an Ethereum strawmap.

Who is this for?

The document, available at strawmap[.]org, is intended for advanced readers. It is a dense and technical resource primarily for researchers,… pic.twitter.com/gIZh5I8Not

— Justin Drake (@drakefjustin) February 25, 2026

Seven Upgrades, Every Six Months: Complete Implementation by 2029

Strawmap outlines a schedule of protocol upgrades from now until the end of 2029, with approximately seven hard forks planned, occurring every six months. Confirmed upgrade names include Glamsterdam and Hegotá, while subsequent ones like I* and J* are still tentative codenames. Each upgrade focuses on “one consensus layer priority + one execution layer priority” to maintain manageable development and auditing pace.

Five Core Goals: From Speed to Privacy in One Go

Drake listed five long-term technical objectives that will shape Ethereum’s development over the coming years:

• Second-level L1 finality: Reduce current ~15-minute transaction finality to just a few seconds, fundamentally improving user experience
• 1 Giga transactions/sec throughput: Achieve around 10,000 TPS at the L1 layer using zkEVM (Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine), a hundreds-fold increase over current capacity
• High-throughput L2: Support L2 networks reaching up to 10 million TPS through Data Availability Sampling
• Post-Quantum Cryptography: Adopt hash-based cryptographic schemes to prepare for future quantum computer threats
• Native Privacy Transactions: Incorporate shielded transactions at the protocol level, making privacy-preserving ETH transfers first-class features of Ethereum

An Extension of the “Lean Ethereum” Vision

Strawmap traces its origins to July 2025, when Drake proposed the “Lean Ethereum” ten-year vision, aiming to achieve maximum performance without sacrificing security and decentralization. In January this year, the Ethereum Foundation held an internal workshop to discuss integrating Lean Ethereum’s long-term goals with short-term development plans, ultimately leading to the creation of this Strawmap document.

Notably, Drake recently announced that the Ethereum Foundation has formed a new Post-Quantum team, led by Thomas Coratger, and launched a $1 million “Poseidon Prize” to enhance the security of the Poseidon hash function—directly aligning with the quantum security goals in Strawmap.

Not a Promise, But a Direction

Drake emphasized that Strawmap is “an invitation to view L1 protocol upgrades from a holistic perspective,” not a binding development commitment. The document is hosted at strawmap.org and will be updated at least quarterly to keep the community informed.

Amid recent downward pressure on Ethereum’s price, the Foundation uses Strawmap to send a clear signal: technical development will not slow down due to market fluctuations. The clear schedule of seven upgrades and five major technical goals paints a roadmap toward 2029—though the journey remains long, the direction is set.