Ethereum research group Ethlabs is calling for a faster shift toward post-quantum security, proposing a 2027 target under the label ‘pqai27’. In a November 11 paper, the group argued that the network should give cryptographic resilience priority over some near-term performance improvements, including work on faster block intervals.
The key qualification is governance: this is a research proposal, not an Ethereum upgrade already approved for deployment. Core developers, client teams, wallet providers and other stakeholders would need to evaluate how to implement such a shift and what it displaces in the existing roadmap.
Why the signature system is the focus
Cryptocurrency wallets use digital signatures to prove authorization. A sufficiently powerful future quantum computer could threaten certain public-key signature schemes, creating risks for accounts with exposed public keys. Ethereum researchers do not claim that a machine capable of breaking those signatures is already available. The concern is that changing cryptographic infrastructure across a global network requires long lead times.
Ethlabs says future-proofing should include resistance to emerging AI-enabled software and security threats as well. The group is pushing for transaction changes that could accommodate new signature designs and has said it will withdraw its quick-slots proposal from the planned Hegotá upgrade to concentrate on the security program.
Wallet changes will still be necessary
Even if protocol support for quantum-resistant signatures arrived on schedule, wallets and applications would still need to implement updated signing methods. Existing holders might have to migrate or change how they authorize transactions. A protocol milestone therefore would not guarantee immediate protection for every account.
The debate comes as Ethereum developers are weighing other upgrade risks. Optimisus previously examined compatibility issues reported during work on Glamsterdam, another example of how protocol proposals face auditing and deployment constraints.
What matters next is a detailed technical specification, test implementations, developer agreement and a realistic migration plan. Until those steps emerge, 2027 is Ethlabs’ preferred target rather than a confirmed launch date for a quantum-secure Ethereum.
Source: Ethlabs, November 11, 2026.
