Ethereum Quantum Upgrade Roadmap Revealed: $260 Billion Network Sprint to 2029, Full Hard Fork Defense

Gate News: On March 25, the Ethereum Foundation released the latest quantum security roadmap, clearly stating that key protocol upgrades will be completed by 2029 to address the potential impact of quantum computing on blockchain cryptography. The current Ethereum network has a scale of approximately $260 billion, and this forward-looking deployment is seen as a core measure to ensure long-term security.

According to the plan, Ethereum will gradually introduce quantum-resistant mechanisms through multiple hard forks. The first “I” and “J” forks will provide support for quantum-safe public keys and optimize related verification costs, potentially being included in the Hegota upgrade scheduled for later this year. Subsequent “L” fork will reconstruct state expressions using zero-knowledge proofs, while the “M” fork will focus on strengthening security protections for layer-two networks.

The foundation pointed out that quantum computing could potentially break the widely used public key cryptography systems in the future, threatening account ownership, transaction signatures, and consensus mechanisms. Although the risk has not yet materialized in the short term, the window for technological advancement is narrowing, and preparations must be completed before the threat actually arrives.

Quantum security issues also concern the Bitcoin ecosystem. Researcher Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers previously predicted that quantum computing might be capable of cracking existing encryption algorithms within the next few years. Meanwhile, developers are advancing the BIP360 proposal to enhance Bitcoin’s resistance to quantum attacks.

At the institutional level, this risk has been incorporated into assessment frameworks. BlackRock explicitly highlighted the potential threat of quantum computing in its Bitcoin-related product documents. The industry generally believes that once quantum computing power surpasses a critical threshold, traditional cryptographic systems could face structural challenges.

The Ethereum Foundation stated that the first phase of underlying protocol upgrades is expected to be completed before 2029, but full execution layer migration will require a longer period. As test networks are gradually launched, quantum defense technology will enter practical verification stages, and the cryptographic ecosystem is accelerating toward a “post-quantum era.”