The quantum threat is pushing Ethereum to review its cryptographic choices. Poseidon, long considered a hash function suitable for zero-knowledge proofs and the post-quantum era, has just been ruled out by network researchers. Behind this change is much more than a choice of algorithm. So Ethereum is reviewing the cryptographic foundations of its future architecture. A new approach now promises better performance, enhanced auditability and more secure integration. It remains to be understood why Poseidon lost the race, what gains his replacement offers and at what pace this transition could reach the network.
In brief
- The Ethereum Foundation has officially pivoted its post-quantum strategy by abandoning the Poseidon hash function in favor of proven historical standards like SHA and BLAKE.
- This pivot is made possible by the major advances made on SNARKs, whose recent optimizations make it possible to achieve a proof generation speed multiplied by 2.5.
- By favoring algorithms that have been audited for several decades, the network considerably reduces its attack vectors while maintaining maximum operational efficiency.
- The roadmap plans to put leanVM into production from 2027, before gradual deployment on all layers of the blockchain by 2028.
The Ethereum Foundation abandons the Poseidon project in favor of historical standards
The Ethereum Foundation has made a formal and significant reorientation of its various research work. It thus abandons the Poseidon hash function which appears in its post-quantum architecture plan. This is why Justin Drake, renowned researcher and key figure in this organization, attested that the foundation wishes to let go of this option in order to now focus on alternatives that have already been recognized, tested and standardized for decades, such as the SHA or BLAKE algorithms.
In practice, the role of the hash function is to convert a set of raw data, regardless of its nature, into a digital fingerprint of a fixed size. This conversion will then guarantee to the computer system that the information has not been manipulated or altered. Poseidon was considered until today as a fundamental system whose role would be to equip future post-quantum mechanisms such as leanVM. This is a virtual environment created for the efficient verification of large volumes of blockchain-related activity not yet deployed on the mainnet.
In order to legitimize this unexpected, but assumed, decision, Justine Drake highlighted the very rapid and exponential evolution of compact proof technologies. For him, the advances made on SNARKs, precise and eminently sophisticated proofs which make it possible to obtain confirmation of the validity of complex calculations without going through the execution of all of the basic operations again, have contributed to the erasure of the theoretical operational superiority from which Poseidon benefited in his early days.
The researcher therefore explained through statements that the execution performance of classic hash functions is now high in order to facilitate direct integration into systems without penalizing the network. Thus, this development immediately removes the industrial obligation to use recent and probably less established cryptographic primitives against various attack threats.
Different capital elements define this technological break within the protocol:
- The total renunciation of the Poseidon function in favor of proven historical algorithms like SHA and BLAKE;
- Canceling the need for experimental primitives thanks to the exceptional efficiency gains brought by SNARKs;
- The continued expansion of leanVM, now based on universally recognized cryptographic standards.
Security: priority given to proven algorithms and acceleration of proofs
Apart from the exclusively technical question relating to raw performance, reasoning on theoretical security and that of software maturity occupies a preponderant place in this algorithmic migration. Sreeram Kannan, the founder and CEO of Eigen Labs, offered a useful clarification on such a strategic choice.
He then noted that infrastructures that rely on established hash functions may have fewer recognized avenues of attack than other post-quantum approaches designed in recent years. Additionally, it emphasizes traditional primitives. For him, they must be integrated very quickly by developers because of several years of careful examination that they have already endured from the entire global scientific community.
This change cannot come at the expense of the operational efficiency of the Ethereum network. Indeed, the various research work must be carried out simultaneously by the Ethereum Foundation, the Eigen Labs teams and the company specializing in zero-knowledge proofs Succinct. This work already offers convincing and particularly promising results.
Thanks to the new optimization of data structures and calculation circuits, this tripartite partnership contributes to increasing the speed of proof generation by 2.5 compared to previous indicators. Such a breakthrough provides proof that it is now possible to combine the processing speed necessary for second-layer architectures as well as the proven durability of historical cryptographic standards.
A gradual deployment spread from 2027 to 2028 across the entire infrastructure
Regarding the operational execution as well as the technical roadmap, the Ethereum Foundation has proposed concise time milestones for the overall realization of this revised infrastructure in relation to the quantum threat. Thus, Justin Drake emphasizes that this version of leanVM, fully operational and available for a productive environment, would be expressly targeted for 2027. This crucial step will serve as a solid technical foundation with a view to preparing the ground for direct implementations on the main network.
During the second phase, successive deployments are planned throughout 2028. It is useful to specify that such structural modifications could target all of the key layers of the Ethereum protocol, such as the consensus layer responsible for validating blocks, the data layer dedicated to the availability of information, as well as the execution layer managing smart contracts and user transactions. However, the researcher points out that all these calendar deadlines remain strictly preliminary in nature for the moment. They must be subject to feedback from the test network.
By opting for the resistance of the SHA and BLAKE standards to the detriment of still experimental innovations, the Ethereum Foundation shows indisputable pragmatic maturity. Thanks to the elimination of the various risks of cryptographic unknowns without a concession of the slightest point of speed by means of the gains recorded on SNARKs, the Foundation proceeds to serenely secure the transition of the network towards the post-quantum era, which ensures the continuity of its infrastructure for years to come.
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