The Ethereum Foundation created a dedicated Post-Quantum (PQ) security team and committed $2M to accelerate engineering work to protect the protocol from quantum-computing risks. The move packages funding, multi-client devnets and developer coordination to move post-quantum research into deployable changes for clients, transaction formats and zero-knowledge stacks.
The effort is led by cryptographic engineer Thomas Coratger with support from contributors tied to leanVM technology. The $2M is being distributed as two $1M prize competitions: the Poseidon Prize to harden the Poseidon hash used in zero-knowledge proofs, and the Proximity Prize to advance broader post-quantum cryptographic research.
The Foundation is also funding new research programs, educational materials and enterprise-focused resources aimed at translating technical work into operational guidance.
Operational coordination is already in place: multi-client post-quantum consensus devnets were reported as operational at launch, with implementations from Lighthouse, Grandine, Zeam and Prysm among others.
Bi-weekly All Core Devs breakout calls led by Antonio Sanso and weekly interoperability calls coordinated by Will Corcoran centralize technical planning on topics such as post-quantum transactions, precompiles, account abstraction and signature aggregation with leanVM.
Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake summarized the shift succinctly: “After years of quiet R&D, EF management has officially declared PQ security a top strategic priority — timelines are accelerating. Time to go full PQ.”
Schedule, community events and industry coordination
Some actions are already past and operational as of the team launch; others are scheduled. The Foundation has announced a dedicated PQ day on 2026-03-29 ahead of EthCC and a three-day expert workshop in October 2026 to accelerate adoption and consensus on implementation approaches.
A roadmap that aims to outline a transition strategy with “zero loss of funds and zero downtime” is slated for publication on pq.ethereum.org, and the Foundation has secured representation on Coinbase’s post-quantum advisory board to coordinate industry response.
Market and compliance teams should view this as an operational shift rather than a purely research announcement. Industry voices cited in the program materials argue that quantum resistance is inevitable and that blockchains that move earlier could become safe havens for sensitive data and assets; one investor framed successful resistance as a structural differentiator for custody and institutional adoption.
For product and risk teams, the immediate tasks are clear: follow PQ devnet tests, assess client upgrade paths, and build governance processes that limit migration risk for custodial holdings.
