The Ethereum Foundation (EF), the non-profit organization supporting the development of Ethereum, is turning its long-running post-quantum research into a public works push, forming a dedicated post-quantum team and calling the work the network’s top strategic priority.
EF researcher Justin Drake said the new team will be led by Thomas Coratger and supported by Emile, who Drake said is the key talent behind “leanVM”.
Drake sees LeanVM as a core part of Ethereum’s broader approach to post-quantum security, arguing that timelines are accelerating and that Ethereum should move into the build phase rather than leaving work in the background.
Today marks a shift in the Ethereum Foundation’s long-term quantum strategy.
We have formed a new Post-Quantum (PQ) team, led by the talented Thomas Coratger (@tcoratger). Joining him is Emile, one of the world-class minds behind leanVM. LeanVM is cryptography…
— Justin Drake (@drakefjustin) January 23, 2026
The news comes as cryptocurrency markets have become more sensitive to quantum risk headlines, even as the actual threat remains a longer-term concern.
Quantum computing uses new types of processors that could one day break today’s encryption faster than ordinary computers. Blockchain developers fear it could eventually expose wallet keys, forcing the network to upgrade encryption before the risk becomes a reality.
The bigger issue for large networks is not a single breakout moment, but the time required to securely transition, update wallets, and move users to the new format without disrupting daily use.
Drake outlined several near-term steps. Bi-weekly developer meetings hosted by Antonio Sanso are expected to begin next month, focusing on post-quantum transactions. The agenda is aimed at user-facing defenses, including dedicated cryptographic tools within the protocol, account abstraction paths, and long-term work using leanVM to aggregate transaction signatures.
EF also invests in cryptographic research. Drake said the company announced a $1 million “Poseidon Prize” to enhance the Poseidon hash function, pointing to another $1 million post-quantum initiative called the “Proximity Prize.”
On the engineering side, Drake said the multi-client post-quantum consensus development network is already operational, with multiple teams involved and making weekly interoperability calls for coordination.
Ethereum also plans to do more community work. Drake said EF will host a post-quantum event in October and a post-quantum day before EthCC in late March, along with educational efforts including a video series and enterprise-focused materials.
This sense of urgency is echoed by others in the ecosystem. Pantera Capital XX Franklin Bi believes that traditional finance may take years to upgrade systems, while blockchain may be able to coordinate full-stack software transitions more quickly.
