Ethereum Sets Sights on Quantum-Resistant Layer 1 by 2029 Deadline
The Ethereum Foundation has set a goal to achieve quantum-resistant Layer 1 by December 2029, with the Hegotá upgrade taking form as part of this plan. This target is in line with those set by Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft.
Post-quantum security sits alongside other priorities such as privacy, faster finality, state management, and zkEVM development. The Ethereum Foundation's Protocol cluster has laid out a multi-fork plan to achieve this goal, with 60 researchers, engineers, and domain experts contributing to the unified assessment of 62 EIPs proposed for Hegotá.
The deadline of December 2029 matches migration targets set by major tech companies, although the timing of 'Q-day', when quantum computers could threaten current cryptography, remains uncertain. Planning assumptions are deliberately aggressive, with Ethereum preparing for Q-day as early as 2030, while acknowledging that credible estimates generally place it later and that it may never arrive.