Ethereum Sets Hard Deadline for Quantum-Resistant Upgrade
The Ethereum Foundation's Protocol cluster has set a hard deadline for making Ethereum's base layer quantum-resistant. This deadline is December 2029, and it will apply to all three layers: execution, consensus, and data.
This date aligns with migration targets set by Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft. The cluster warns that the point at which a quantum computer could break the cryptography securing wallets, known as Q-day, may arrive as early as 2030. However, most credible estimates place it later or suggest it may never occur.
To reach post-quantum readiness by the end of 2029, an average cadence of 7.2 months per hard fork is required, leaving little room for error. Forks will have to overlap rather than ship in sequence. The cluster has evaluated 62 EIPs proposed for Hegota and published a unified tier list with grades from nine client teams and individual domain experts.