Ethereum Abandons Poseidon, Validates Conservative Approach

Adam Back, creator of Hashcash and CEO of Blockstream, has publicly endorsed Ethereum's decision to abandon its experimental Poseidon hash function. This shift towards conventional security standards marks a significant victory for those who advocated for reliability over custom solutions.

Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake announced that the platform would be shutting down its project to integrate Poseidon after eight years of work and substantial investment. The decision is largely due to recent breakthroughs in binary-field mathematics, which have made it possible to process conventional hashes at a rate comparable to custom solutions.

Back had always been skeptical of custom ZK-optimized algorithms, calling them 'an under-reviewed quirky hash.' He preferred the higher computational costs of standard hash algorithms over the risk of using immature code. This stance has now received technical validation with the development of Binius and Flook proof systems.