Vitalik Buterin Says Ethereum Will Soon Achieve Quantum Resistance

Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum (ETH) will achieve quantum resistance soon via post-quantum hash-based signatures in the Strawmap, a four-year Layer 1 (L1) upgrade plan.

Why it matters:

• Quantum computers could break Ethereum’s current encryption; hash-based signatures would close that gap before the threat arrives.
• Buterin’s confirmation moves quantum resistance from a research topic to a scheduled Ethereum upgrade target.
• The Strawmap’s six-month fork schedule means quantum-resistant slots could ship within the plan’s first two upgrades.

The details:

• Buterin confirmed the timeline via X on February 26, 2026, citing the Ethereum Foundation’s Strawmap.
• The Strawmap was published at strawmap.org after an Ethereum Foundation workshop in January 2026.
• The name blends “strawman” and “roadmap,” meaning the plan is experimental and built to be revised.
• The four-year plan targets ~7 forks every six months; Glamsterdam and Hegotá are confirmed for 2026.
• Buterin also proposed cutting block time to 2 seconds and finality from ~16 minutes to 6–16 seconds.

The big picture:

• Bitcoin and Solana ecosystems are also running post-quantum research, making it a growing priority across blockchains.
• A fixed six-month fork schedule marks a faster, more structured upgrade cadence for Ethereum’s L1.
• The Strawmap is explicitly a draft — timelines, including quantum resistance, could shift as development progresses.