Ethereum sets 2029 quantum target as Hegotá takes shape

Ethereum has set a December 2029 target for a quantum-resistant Layer 1 while moving Frame Transactions toward Hegotá and developing execution proofs, privacy tools and a new consensus design.

Researchers addressed the roadmap at the Sept. 16, EF Protocol AMA, on Reddit. According to the Foundation, its work on post-quantum must include Ethereum’s data availability, execution and consensus systems. However, several of the technologies that were discussed during the AMA are still research proposals, or views from individual researchers, rather than finalized changes.

EF Protocol committed to make the Ethereum Layer 1, across all three protocols layers, post-quantum by December 20,29. In its published plan, it treats a quantum computer that could be cryptographically significant by 2030 as a bold planning assumption. The group called the 2029 date “non-negotiable” At least through January 2027 when experts from outside will be expected to help assess quantum progress.

Migration includes execution accounts. Ethereum relies on elliptic curve signatures for authentication, but the system of tomorrow will need accounts which can be used to replace them without having to wait for new hard-forks every time cryptographic standard changes. Consensus faces a different problem, as validator signatures are more embedded in the protocol rules and require dedicated hard fork work. The data availability target must be achieved by moving away from cryptographic dependences that don’t meet the post quantum goal.

According to crypto.news, in their coverage of Ethereum 2029’s roadmap, the plan includes quantum safety as a central delivery promise rather than only treating it as distant science. Ethereum targets quantum-resistant L1 by 2029

The Foundation cautions that the changes in core-protocol do not necessarily protect all of what is built around Ethereum. Even if Layer 1 is changed, applications, wallets (including custody systems), bridges (such as rollups), and other cryptographic-dependent products can continue to function. In the Sept. 16 AMA, this migration issue was raised directly. Questions were also asked about external systems’ ability to identify vulnerable cryptography and how they should replace it before core deadline.

Cryptographic flexibility is provided by frame transactions for Ethereum accounts

EIP-8141, known as Frame Transactions, is now scheduled for inclusion in Hegotá. The draft separates transaction validation, execution and gas payment into programmable frames, allowing an account to define how it verifies authorization instead of relying permanently on Ethereum’s existing transaction-signature model.

It supports key rotations, sponsored gas payment, alternative fee arrangements, and atomic groupings of actions. This role is due to its cryptographic flexibility: an account may adopt a unique signature scheme using the validation logic of their own instead requiring Ethereum add a single fixed post quantum signature format.

EF Protocol ranked Frames as an S-tier Hegotá item in September and described it as the execution-layer headliner. EIP-8141 is part of the current package, which also includes EIP-8250 for keyed nuces and EIP-8272 for recent roots. The protocol researchers say that this combination is useful for privacy and offers a partial alternative to secp256k1 keyed master keys.

The frames can allow validators to continue earning ETH in network fees, while users are able to pay their transaction costs using sponsors or tokens. This structure allows related actions to be combined so that an approval may be reversed if a later operation fails. Ethereum EIP-8141 could remove the need to hold ETH for gas

Although the specification has been scheduled to fork, its status remains as a draft. Ethereum.org currently lists Hegotá as an upgrade in planning, with Q2 2027 shown as an expected period and no confirmed mainnet date. FOCIL and Frames are the two changes formally scheduled in the Hegotá Meta EIP, while much of the remaining scope is still being selected.

Work on zkEVM has moved from benchmarks towards optional proofs

Ethereum’s work on L1-zkEVM is being done in stages. EIP 8025 proposes to allow validators or nodes to generate and consume execution proofs, without altering Ethereum’s validity rules. This mechanism allows teams to test out proof creation, network, client integration, and verification on a live network, before they are required as proofs for block validation.

The proposal remains in draft status and sits in Hegotá’s proposed-for-inclusion section. EF Protocol rated EIP 8025 as a priority A in their September evaluation, stating that the proposal would integrate stateless-execution into Ethereum canonical specification and decrease separate zkVM branch development.

Ethereum’s roadmap for zkEVM will later move from optional to mandatory proofs. Validators can verify concise proofs rather than re-executing each block. EF protocol says that it is currently reviewing the exact order of forks because work on post-quantum agreement may have to be done before mandatory execution.

Security work has not been completed, although performance is better. In late 2025, the Ethereum Foundation announced that its zkVM system had improved to a point where it could prove 99% of Ethereum block in 10 seconds using target hardware. This was after showing times were reduced dramatically during development. Its current zkEVM Tracker measures ISA Compliance, Real-Time Proving and Security Readiness separately.

The need for formal testing has not been eliminated by formal verification. In a report published by EF zkEVM in May, it was described that verification on SP1 Hypercube had established mathematical guarantees of certain parts of the RISC V implementation. However, testing revealed JALR issues and gaps with verification assumptions. According to the Foundation, formal claims should state exactly what is proven and what still needs proof.

Formal Verification has been working on machine-checked tool development. In August, the better.codes project uses ArkLib and Lean to test claims of cryptographic soundness in hash-based verification systems. Meanwhile Q2 grants funded work to verify RISCV zkVM restrictions and Ethereum execution tools.

Privacy and speedier finality is being developed by several forks

Privacy is one of the research programs that EF Protocol has developed in conjunction with its multi-fork program. The Foundation’s current plan starts with transaction-level tools around Hegotá, including Frames and FOCIL, before pursuing post-quantum privacy and encrypted mempool designs later.

FOCIL has been designed to reduce the dependence on one block maker for transaction inclusion. The design, when combined with keyed-nonces and programmable addresses, could allow privacy applications to utilize Ethereum’s regular transaction pipeline without the requirement of a dedicated relay. Ethereum’s Privacy Roadmap describes Frames, which is used to provide privacy-preserving gas abstraction and privacy-preserving validity. FOCIL acts as an inclusion mechanism.

Separate draft EIP-8182 proposed a private ETH/ERC-20 transfer mechanism. EF Protocol declined it for Hegotá in September, saying the Frames-based route could support privacy without placing one specific privacy system directly into the protocol. The decision doesn’t mean native privacy will be abandoned, but it does change the route that Protocol currently favors.

In May 2017, Crypto.news reported that Vitalik Buterin already described account abstraction, FOCIL (Focus on the nonce) and keyed notces as Ethereum privacy’s work. Vitalik Buterin maps three-step Ethereum privacy upgrade

The finality research follows a different timeline. EF Protocol’s Sept. 7 roadmap names decoupled consensus as the leading candidate for the I* fork after Hegotá. This design is meant to decouple block availability from finality and will reduce the time between protocol updates. Specifications and prototypes are still being developed.

Quick Slots, which could shorten Ethereum’s current 12-second slot time, has not received the same Hegotá commitment. EF Protocol rated EIP-8198 B-tier, saying it needed a full specification, an implementation, a thorough ecosystem assessment, and reassurance that it would not interfere with the decoupled consensus.

On Sept. 18, crypto.news covered a similar story, reporting that Ethereum Institutional had backed a project exploring the possibility of reducing blocks from 12 seconds to 10 seconds, noting, however, that EIP-8198 hadn’t been included in their inclusion schedule. Ethereum Institutional backs plan to cut block times to 10 seconds

ETH issuance continues to be a policy issue for the community

The AMA on Sept. 16 returned several times to ETH issuance, and the size the staking basis. Several questions questioned Ethereum’s current reward curve, and whether staking continued growth would put pressure on unstaked ETH or the validator system.

There is a concrete proposal, but so far it hasn’t been accepted. EIP-8363 proposes a gradual issuance burn, which would decrease net validator issuance when the staking rate increases. It also cancels consensus issuance once a saturation balance is defined close to 50% ETH supply. If activated, the draft would propose a transition period of 18 months.

EF Protocol unanimously declined EIP-8363 for the Hegotá scoping process, while explicitly stating that the decision was “not a judgment on the merits.” Cluster said that issuance impacts every staker, holder and Ethereum security budget. It expects this subject to be resolved through the ecosystem instead of by a fork selection group.

According to crypto.news, this draft reduces ETH staking issuance in proportion to the amount of ETH staked. It is still a working proposal that has not been approved. Ethereum proposal could end staking rewards at 50%

It is therefore different to Frames which also has a fork scheduled. Researchers’ support for a change in issuance is based on personal positions or proposals until Ethereum’s governance process agrees to a specification and upgrade path.

Reorganized teams at EF divide institutional, protocol and access work

In June, the Ethereum Foundation reorganized into five major work groups: Access, User and Community, along with Operations and Management functions. The Foundation stated that the restructuring resulted in a reduction of 54 staff members, or close to 20 percent, as well as a change in how communication, institutional needs, and research are separated.

Protocol is now the owner of hard-fork research and delivery areas, such as Post-quantum Security, zkEVM or Layer 1 Privacy. Access Layer is focused on transactions, proofing, delegation, and user control. Institutional Layer helps financial institutions, businesses, government, universities, and nonprofits.

EF Protocol’s Sept. 7 priorities document says its December 2029 target will require overlapping work across Hegotá, I*, J* and later forks instead of finishing one upgrade before research begins on the next. The client teams, outside researchers, and security experts are all expected to be working on several stages simultaneously.

The next confirmed protocol checkpoint is Hegotá’s continuing scope process. EIP 8025 is still proposed and Frames, FOCIL and other candidates need to pass the specification, prototyping and testing requirements.

FAQs