The Ethereum Foundation has published a new roadmap to prepare the network for the risks posed by quantum computing. The plan targets initial upgrades by 2029 and sets out changes across Ethereum’s execution, consensus, and data layers. It also shows that developer teams have already started testing some quantum-related functions, as of March 2026.
As quantum systems improve, one question now hangs over major blockchains: how early is early enough to prepare?
The foundation said quantum computing will eventually break the public-key cryptography that secures ownership, authentication, and consensus across digital systems. At the same time, it said that the moment did not appear close.
Even so, the group argued that Ethereum cannot wait until the threat becomes immediate. It said the shift will take years and that the work must begin long before quantum machines reach that stage.
The roadmap describes a broad transition that touches multiple parts of the network. It points to account abstraction as one path for users to move toward quantum-resistant authentication methods.
It also sets an early goal for the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Developers want to first add post-quantum signature verification systems, known as PQ signature precompiles, to the EVM. Later, the plan calls for direct transaction support for those signatures. It also aims to reduce signature size through aggregation as the work moves forward.
At the consensus layer, Ethereum plans a deeper overhaul. Developers want to replace the current BLS signature system with hash-based post-quantum alternatives. That change would begin with validators registering new quantum-resistant keys. Over time, block verification would then move fully to those new signature systems.
The roadmap says this step is more critical and more complex than the execution-layer work. One problem comes from the large size of post-quantum signatures.
Another issue comes from the lack of natural aggregation, which current systems already support. To address that, developers are working on SNARK-based compression methods and a lightweight zkVM design called leanVM.
The foundation’s quantum team, formed in January, leads this effort. That same team launched the new website that explains the roadmap in technical detail.
The Ethereum group has proposed four key hard forks to support the transition. The first two already appear closer to deployment than the later stages. Under the “I” fork, network validators would receive a quantum-safe public key. That key would stand ready in case a powerful quantum computer appears suddenly.
The “J” fork would then reduce the gas cost of verifying a quantum-safe signature. Both proposals are now under consideration for inclusion in the Hegota fork expected later this year.
Quantum risk has also stayed on the radar for Bitcoin developers and investors. Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers stated in October that he expects quantum computers to crack Bitcoin’s cryptography within four to five years.
BlackRock also named quantum computing as a risk factor in its amended prospectus for the iShares Bitcoin Trust filed in May. Meanwhile, Bitcoin developers are working on BIP360, a proposal aimed at addressing the same threat.
Still, researchers inside Ethereum’s quantum team estimate that cryptographically relevant quantum computing remains eight to 12 years away. The roadmap shows that Ethereum wants to use that time to prepare.
The Ethereum Foundation has set a roadmap to prepare the network for quantum computing risks, with initial upgrades targeted by 2029. The plan includes hard forks, post-quantum cryptography, and new validator key systems across Ethereum’s core layers. The key takeaway is that Ethereum wants to build protections years before the threat becomes urgent.