Ethereum Sets 2029 Deadline for Quantum Resistance, But 65% Claim Sparks Debate
Ethereum's protocol team has set December 2029 as the deadline to resist quantum computer attacks across its execution, consensus, and data layers. The team is working on Hegotá, Ethereum's next upgrade, targeted for 2027, to achieve this goal. Two proposals, EIP-7805 and EIP-8141, were graded 'must-ship' for the upgrade. EIP-8141 allows accounts to move off today's signature scheme, which a sufficiently powerful quantum computer can break.
The Ethereum Foundation's Protocol Cluster emphasized that Hegotá is not a post-quantum (PQ) fork but rather the fork that decides whether PQ forks happen on time. Project Eleven, a startup that sells quantum-security products to crypto firms, claims that 65% of ETH sits in addresses vulnerable to quantum attacks. However, this figure does not appear in Ethereum's own materials and is attributed to Project Eleven.
Ethereum's own site puts the network's quantum-vulnerable dormant fund exposure at approximately 0.1%, stating it is far lower than other major blockchains. Migration to post-quantum signatures is expected to be done later, once they are broadly supported, not something users should act on now.