Ethereum to Drop Poseidon for SHA or BLAKE in Quantum-Safe Shift
Ethereum is preparing for a major change to its cryptographic architecture as developers accelerate efforts to protect the network against the long-term threat posed by quantum computing.
Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake has indicated that Ethereum's Layer 1 cryptography roadmap is moving away from Poseidon toward more traditional hash functions such as SHA or BLAKE. The potential shift reflects advances in zero-knowledge proof technology that could make conventional hash functions efficient enough for applications that previously favored specialized SNARK-friendly alternatives.
The development represents an important change in Ethereum's long-term security strategy. It also fits into a broader effort to simplify the network's cryptographic foundations while preparing Ethereum for a future in which today's widely used cryptographic systems could eventually become vulnerable to quantum computers.
The development was also highlighted by crypto news account @WuBlockchain on X, bringing additional attention to Drake's comments and Ethereum's evolving quantum-security plans
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| Source: Xpost |
Why Ethereum Is Rethinking Poseidon
Poseidon was designed to work efficiently with zero-knowledge proof systems, particularly SNARKs. These systems allow one party to prove that a computation is correct without revealing all of the information used to produce the result.
That technology has become increasingly important to Ethereum as zero-knowledge proofs are used for scaling, privacy and transaction verification.
Traditional hash functions can be computationally expensive inside certain proof systems. Poseidon was created partly because its design can make those operations more efficient.
But advances in binary-field SNARKs are changing the balance.
New proving techniques have made it increasingly practical to prove computations involving traditional hash functions. If those improvements continue, Ethereum may no longer need to rely as heavily on a specialized hash function simply because it performs well inside SNARKs.
That could allow Ethereum to use more established cryptographic primitives while maintaining efficient proof generation and verification.
Ethereum's official post-quantum roadmap continues to recognize Poseidon's importance, including a $1 million Poseidon Prize aimed at advancing research into hash-based cryptographic primitives.
SHA and BLAKE Could Offer a Simpler Foundation
SHA and BLAKE are established families of cryptographic hash functions that have been extensively studied and deployed throughout the technology industry.
Ethereum already uses cryptographic functions across multiple parts of its architecture, but the proposed direction would place greater emphasis on hash-based security as the network prepares for the post-quantum era.
The appeal is not simply familiarity.
Using mature cryptographic primitives can potentially make Ethereum easier to analyze, audit and maintain. A simpler cryptographic foundation could also reduce the number of specialized components developers need to secure over the long term.
That matters because Ethereum is designed to operate for decades, potentially much longer. Cryptographic decisions made today therefore have consequences far beyond the next network upgrade.
Justin Drake has previously described Ethereum's quantum-resistance effort as an opportunity to rebuild parts of the network around cryptographic foundations that could remain secure for the long term.
Quantum Computing Is the Bigger Threat
The debate over Poseidon, SHA and BLAKE is ultimately connected to a much larger concern: quantum computing.
Today's quantum computers are not capable of breaking Ethereum's cryptography at the scale required to threaten user funds or the network itself. However, researchers expect quantum computing to continue improving, creating a long-term risk for cryptographic systems based on mathematical problems that quantum algorithms could eventually solve efficiently.
Ethereum's official roadmap says quantum computers could eventually threaten several cryptographic systems used by the network, including ECDSA signatures, BLS signatures and KZG commitments.
That is why developers are planning the transition years in advance.
A blockchain as large as Ethereum cannot simply replace its cryptography overnight. The network supports millions of users, thousands of applications and a huge infrastructure of validators, wallets and Layer 2 networks.
Any fundamental cryptographic migration therefore needs extensive testing before it becomes part of the production protocol.
LeanVM Becomes a Key Part of Ethereum's Strategy
One of the central components of Ethereum's quantum-safe roadmap is leanVM, a minimal zero-knowledge virtual machine designed to help Ethereum efficiently process and aggregate cryptographic operations.
The need for leanVM comes partly from the size of post-quantum signatures.
Ethereum currently relies on BLS signatures at the consensus layer because they can be aggregated efficiently. A quantum-resistant alternative based on hash functions, such as leanXMSS, can provide stronger resistance to quantum attacks but produces significantly larger signatures.
Ethereum's official documentation says hash-based signatures can be around 3,000 bytes compared with approximately 96 bytes for BLS signatures. Simply replacing BLS with larger signatures could therefore create a substantial burden for Ethereum's validators and network infrastructure.
LeanVM is intended to address that problem by using zero-knowledge proofs to aggregate large amounts of cryptographic information efficiently.
According to Ethereum's roadmap, the technology could compress this data by roughly 250 times, helping the network maintain efficiency even after moving toward quantum-safe signatures.
Ethereum's 2027 and 2028 Ambitions
Drake's comments point toward a production-grade leanVM target in 2027, followed by potential deployment across Ethereum's consensus, data and execution layers in 2028.
Those dates should be viewed as development targets rather than guaranteed hard deadlines.
Ethereum's official roadmap currently describes its post-quantum milestones as planning targets that can change as research and testing progress. The broader roadmap targets completion of core post-quantum infrastructure around 2029, while full migration of the execution layer and wider ecosystem could continue beyond that point.
That means the transition will likely happen incrementally rather than through one massive network upgrade.
Ethereum developers are already conducting post-quantum interoperability testing involving more than 10 client teams, while open-source implementations of leanVM, leanXMSS and related components are being developed and tested.
What the Change Means for Ethereum
The possible move from Poseidon to SHA or BLAKE could have implications beyond quantum security.
It could represent a broader effort to simplify Ethereum's cryptographic architecture and make the network easier to verify and maintain.
The shift could also demonstrate how quickly advances in zero-knowledge technology can change assumptions about blockchain infrastructure.
When Poseidon was developed, its efficiency inside SNARK systems made it an attractive choice. If binary-field SNARKs can now prove traditional hash functions efficiently, the technical advantage of specialized SNARK-friendly hashes may become less significant.
That could give Ethereum more flexibility when selecting cryptographic primitives for future versions of the protocol.
Ethereum's Long-Term Security Challenge
Ethereum's quantum-safe initiative is not about responding to an immediate attack. It is about preparing before the technology capable of creating such an attack becomes widely available.
The Ethereum Foundation established a dedicated post-quantum research effort in 2026, and its roadmap includes changes to signatures, data availability and other cryptographic components.
Vitalik Buterin has also emphasized the importance of preparing Ethereum for quantum security while continuing to improve privacy and protocol efficiency.
For ordinary Ethereum users, there is no immediate action required. The proposed changes remain part of a long-term development process, and the Ethereum roadmap says future wallet software is expected to guide users through eventual cryptographic migration.
The bigger message is that Ethereum is attempting to solve a problem before it becomes an emergency.
The potential move away from Poseidon toward SHA or BLAKE, combined with leanVM and hash-based signatures, could become an important part of Ethereum's effort to build a network capable of surviving the next generation of computing technology.
As research progresses, the final design may still change. But the direction is increasingly clear: Ethereum wants its Layer 1 infrastructure to be simpler, more efficient and prepared for a post-quantum world.
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Victoria Hale is a writer focused on blockchain and digital technology. She is known for her ability to simplify complex technological developments into content that is clear, easy to understand, and engaging to read.
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