Ethereum Cofounder Buterin The Splurge to Enhance Cryptography Against Quantum Computers

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has stated that one of the stages in the blockchain’s roadmap is focused on researching “advanced cryptography” to ensure resistance against future quantum computers that may be able to break encryption. In a blogpost on October 29, Buterin expressed his thoughts on a section of the roadmap called “The Splurge” and emphasized that although quantum computers capable of breaking encryption do not currently exist, there is still much work to be done. He mentioned that any purported quantum computers currently available online are either prototypes or not capable of running meaningful computations. Even if “real” quantum computers are developed in the future, regular people may not have access to them on their laptops or phones until decades after powerful institutions have obtained them. The blogpost also discussed The Splurge, which is the sixth stage in Ethereum’s roadmap and aims to address various improvements for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and other niche topics. Buterin highlighted the key goals of The Splurge, which include reaching a stable state for the EVM, implementing account abstraction in-protocol, optimizing transaction fees, and researching advanced cryptography. The next update for Ethereum, called Pectra, will introduce the first step in improving the EVM by specifying a new version of EVM code known as EVM Object Format (EOF). Additionally, Pectra will make convenience features of account abstraction available to all users, allowing them to use wallet-like smart contracts and pay transaction fees with ERC-20 tokens. Buterin also proposed the concept of “multidimensional gas” to enhance Ethereum’s transaction fee economics, suggesting separate prices and limits for different resources to better price the blockchain’s available resources and reduce pressure on performance optimization.