Ethlabs reached out to Ethereum developers on the Ethereum Magicians forum, where proposals for improving the protocol of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization are discussed. The organization's representatives believe that the rapidly advancing artificial intelligence can identify vulnerabilities in the blockchain too quickly, causing cryptographic threats to emerge much faster than anticipated.
U.S. authorities have moved up the anticipated timeline for Q-Day—the day when quantum computers will be able to break current encryption methods—from 2035 to 2030, bringing it five years closer. Google promises to deliver post-quantum security by 2029. AI systems have already solved hundreds of mathematical problems once considered unsolvable, and one AI model discovered around 1,000 vulnerabilities in the Linux operating system. In short, quantum computers will have little trouble automating the search for vulnerabilities in cryptographic protections and blockchain infrastructure, warn Ethlabs.
The organization proposed conducting Ethereum's post-quantum transition in two stages:
pqai-ready — implementation of quantum-resistant consensus and account protection;
pqai-scaled — full network throughput using post-quantum transactions and data availability systems.
To complete both phases by 2027, Ethereum developers are being urged to revisit several upgrades already included in the network’s roadmap. Ethlabs reminded stakeholders of the upcoming Hegotá hardfork with the FOCIL mechanism, which enhances censorship resistance. Ethlabs proposes removing its quick slots implementation from the Hegotá hardfork and reallocating resources toward pqai27. Although quick slots are intended to accelerate block production and increase transaction processing speed on Ethereum, Ethlabs considers enhancing the blockchain’s resistance to quantum attacks a higher priority.
Ethlabs — a competing organization to the Ethereum Foundation, founded in the summer by five Ethereum developers, due to reductions in employee compensation. Ethlabs offers corporate clients services related to operating on the Ethereum network.
In August, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested “lightening the blockchain” by actively using AI, especially during verification, to protect against quantum threats. Recently, scientists from Alice & Bob calculated that a quantum computer could crack the Bitcoin network 17 times faster than previously expected.