Ethereum to shift post-quantum cryptographic hash functions to conventional ones
Digital FinanceProduct / Tech
Justin Drake, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, announced on the 13th a plan to move the hash function used on Ethereum's mainnet from Poseidon to conventional hash functions such as SHA2 and BLAKE2s for quantum-resistant cryptography. The shift is said to bring higher security to a lean Ethereum and to herald a golden age for hash-based cryptography. Poseidon was a hash function created in 2019 that became central to zero-knowledge proof systems, but subsequent innovations in SNARK design revealed that existing standard hash functions can deliver performance comparable to Poseidon. Conventional functions have undergone thorough analysis by cryptographic researchers around the world, which can accelerate the speed of adoption. The current roadmap calls for completing a production-grade lean VM in 2027 and deploying it to CL, DL, and EL in 2028.
