Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has detailed a sweeping technical vision for the network's future.
The Canadian prodigy has detailed a "Ship of Theseus" style overhaul that will increase transaction speed and secure the blockchain against the threat of quantum computing.
The network's path to faster performance will be linked to a migration toward post-quantum cryptography.
This comes after Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake released a new roadmap for the popular blockchain.
The "bundle" strategy
Buterin revealed that the Ethereum Foundation consensus upgrades will be paired with switching to quantum-resistant security protocols. Hence, this will not be treated as a separate security upgrade.
The network will leverage the "invasive" nature of upcoming performance changes to swap out vulnerable cryptographic foundations.
"Because this is a very invasive set of changes, the plan is to bundle the largest step in each change with a switch of the cryptography, notably to post-quantum hash-based signatures, and to a maximally STARK-friendly hash," Buterin wrote.
"Chugging along"
Buterin has noted that the network might achieve quantum resistance for its basic block production (slots) before it achieves it for finality.
This creates a unique fail-safe in the event of a sudden technological leap in quantum computing.
"So we may well quite quickly get to a regime where, if quantum computers suddenly appear, we lose the finality guarantee, but the chain keeps chugging along," he said.
The probability of a quantum breakthrough
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has been one of the crypto industry's most vocal figures regarding the "Q-Day" threat.
In late 2025, he notably estimated a 20% probability that quantum computers capable of breaking current cryptography could emerge before 2030.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov