‘Time to go full PQ’ – Ethereum Foundation launches post-quantum push

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is going all in on a post-quantum (PQ) era and has unveiled a team to help the chain become more resistant. 

In a statement, EF researcher Justin Drake said that the foundation has declared PQ a “top security priority” and 2026 is the time to go full swing. 

“After years of quiet R&D, EF management has officially declared PQ security a top strategic priority. It’s now 2026, and timelines are accelerating. Time to go full PQ.”

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EF’s post-quantum initiatives

Drake noted that PQ research began in 2019, and several breakthroughs have been made. Hence, it is time to advance it into Ethereum’s long-term strategy. 

To this effect, a new PQ team has been formed, led by Thomas Coratger with Emile (leanVM). This is being positioned as the backbone of Ethereum’s cryptographic PQ future. The team will hold bi-weekly meetings to scale user-focused security for PQ. 

Additionally, EF is betting big on a hash-based cryptography, offering a $1 million cash prize to improve its security. Part of the statement read, 

“$1M Poseidon Prize to harden the Poseidon hash function. We are betting big on hash-based cryptography to enjoy the strongest and leanest cryptographic foundations.”

The infrastructure side of things is also progressing smoothly, with PQ devnets already focusing on a multi-client consensus system. The formal PQ roadmap will be shared soon, according to EF. 

Reacting to the update, Franklin Bi, General Partner at research-driven crypto investment firm Paradigm, said, 

“The post-quantum race begins. If done successfully & timely, blockchains can evolve into post-quantum ‘safe havens’ for data & assets.”

In 2025, Google and Microsoft made significant breakthroughs in quantum computing, a move some believe meant its inherent risk to blockchain’s cryptographic systems may be on borrowed time. 

PQ-era – Ethereum vs Bitcoin

So far, Solana [SOL] and Ethereum [ETH] have pushed forward with formal plans to become quantum-resistant. However, the Bitcoin community is split on the way forward on the issue.

Some OG cypherpunks like Adam Back believe the threat is still years or decades away. Key BTC players like Michael Saylor think that it will be “figured out” with time.  Others, on the other hand, feel quantum is an immediate risk and is likely causing BTC’s recent underperformance against gold and other metals. 

For his part, analyst Willy Woo believes that Bitcoin’s quantum discussions have been “slow,” but have accelerated over the past few months. 

But if Bitcoin lags behind Ethereum on PQ, the altcoin will outperform it in investor returns, warned Nic Carter, partner at crypto VC firm Castle Island Ventures. 

“ETHBTC will have to reach 0.1 before BTC devs recognize there’s a problem.”

If so, that would imply a 200% outperformance for ETH against BTC, surpassing even the 2021 bull run level. 

Final Thoughts

• Ethereum Foundation unveiled post-quantum era plans, including a dedicated team, developer networks, and $1 million cash for hardening underlying security.
• Ethereum’s aggressive push to be quantum-resistant could make it outperform BTC by 200% on price charts.