Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has officially confirmed that Ethereum will achieve quantum resistance soon through post-quantum hash-based signatures in the Strawmap. On February 26, 2026, he shared a new roadmap that explains how the Ethereum network plans to enhance its quantum resistance and network upgrade. Ethereum currently uses Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), specifically the secp256k1 curve, for signing transactions via the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). Quantum computers can easily break the current encryption, so the network is planning to upgrade the existing encryption pairing by switching to quantum-resistant security protocols. They explained that the latest upgrade to the quantum-resistant protocol will not be treated as a separate security upgrade.
According to Buterin, the new plan, named the “Ship of Theseus,” aims to integrate post-quantum cryptography to enhance the transaction speed and protect the network from possible quantum breakthroughs in the future. In Buterin’s X post, he explained that the network will reportedly use the “invasive” nature of future performance changes to eradicate the vulnerable cryptographic foundations.
The Ethereum network is planning to achieve this quantum resistance through post-quantum hash-based signatures in the Strawmap, which is a four-year Layer 1 (L1) upgrade plan. According to his plan, the block time could be cut down to 2 seconds and finality to 6-16 seconds.
He explained that he expected slot time to be reduced incrementally, noting that he preferred the “square root of two at a time” approach, such as moving from 12 seconds to 8, then 6, 4, 3, and eventually 2 seconds, although he clarified that the last two steps were more speculative and depended on significant research. He stated that the slot time would be treated as a parameter to be adjusted downward when there was confidence it was safe, similar to the blob target. He further added that fast slots existed in their own lane at the top of the roadmap and did not strongly connect with other components, as most of the roadmap remained largely independent of slot time, adding that roughly the same work would be required whether the slot time was 2 seconds or 32 seconds.
Vitalik Buterin claimed that one possible finality time trajectory would move progressively from 16 minutes at present to 10 minutes and 40 seconds with 8-second slots, then to 6 minutes and 24 seconds with one-epoch finality, followed by 1 minute and 12 seconds using 8-slot epochs and 6-second slots, then 48 seconds with 4-second slots, further down to 16 seconds with Minimmit, and eventually to 8 seconds with Minimmit using more aggressive parameters.
Ethereum Eyes Quantum‑Resistant Future Amid Poseidon2 Concerns
In his X post addressing the post-quantum measures, Vitalik Buterin explained that the changes were highly invasive; the plan was to bundle the largest step in each change with a switch in cryptography, particularly toward post-quantum hash-based signatures and a maximally STARK-friendly hash. He stated that there were three possible responses to the recent Poseidon2 attacks: increasing the round count or introducing countermeasures such as a Monolith layer, reverting to Poseidon1, which he noted was more lindy and had not shown flaws, or using BLAKE3 or another maximally efficient conventional hash, adding that all options were currently being researched.
The Ethereum co-founder previously estimated only a 20% chance that Ethereum’s current cryptography could be broken by quantum computers, underscoring the urgency of strengthening Ethereum’s security measures. He added that one interesting consequence of the incremental approach was that there was a pathway to making the slots quantum-resistant much sooner than achieving quantum-resistant finality. He said this meant the network could quickly reach a stage where, if quantum computers suddenly emerged, it might lose its finality guarantee, but the chain would continue operating.
Vitalik Buterin concluded his post by stating that progressive decreases in both slot time and finality time were expected, adding that these changes would be intertwined with a “ship of Theseus”-style, component-by-component replacement of Ethereum’s slot structure and consensus with a cleaner, simpler, quantum-resistant, prover-friendly, and fully formally verified alternative.
