Quantum Readiness: LayerZero and Coinbase Advance Post-Quantum Cryptography Efforts

The threat of quantum computers breaking current blockchain cryptography has led to a new wave of post-quantum cryptographic building blocks and workshops. LayerZero, a blockchain technology company, has released Akita, a production-ready tool that provides quantum-resistant security for zero-knowledge proving systems.

Akita is based on lattice-based cryptography, which has been standardized by NIST for post-quantum encryption and signatures. It offers several advantages over other post-quantum systems, including smaller proof sizes (65-80 kilobytes) and faster proving runs (2-3 times faster than Jolt).

Coinbase is also taking steps to secure its blockchain. The company hosted a Post-Quantum Bitcoin Workshop at Stanford University, where Bitcoin developers and cryptographers compared approaches for post-quantum signature schemes.

The goal is to migrate to post-quantum cryptography before 2029, when Google plans to complete its own migration. NIST anticipates deprecating ECDSA by 2030 and disallowing it by 2035.