QuantumEVM, a layer-1 chain appropriate with the Ethereum Digital Machine (EVM) and designed with quantum resistance in thoughts from the bottom up, has launched its testnet (testnet) The challenge will go stay on March 17, as defined by Ian Smith, the challenge’s CEO and technical director.
The principle objective of QuantumEVM is to allow Ethereum ecosystem constructions (decentralized purposes, good contracts, and so forth.). Simply migrate to networks aimed toward securing post-quantum threats.with out dropping compatibility with present instruments comparable to wallets.
The supervisor introduced that the staff would wish to utterly redesign the EVM’s reminiscence structure to make it immune to quantum laptop assaults.
The core adjustments are the migration of 20-byte addresses, the Ethereum customary, and all supported networks. as much as 32 byte deal with.
The CEO additionally revealed that QuantumEVM runs on Cellframe, an open source-based community for scalability and post-quantum safety, and makes use of a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, permitting purposes and good contracts to be migrated virtually instantly from Ethereum whereas sustaining compatibility with the EVM customary.
Moreover, though Smith assures that QuantumEVM makes use of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), neither he nor the challenge documentation reveals which particular algorithms will likely be carried out.
The challenge documentation states: The technique is “hybrid and configurable”: The system makes use of a number of important schemes and lets you select from them via a configuration file, with the intention of facilitating fast migration within the occasion of future quantum assaults.
Over the subsequent “three months,” the challenge will embody totally homomorphic encryption (FHE), which permits information to be processed with out decrypting it, and PQC acceleration with graphics processing items (GPUs), in keeping with Smith.
Why is not 20 bytes sufficient?
Ethereum addresses are 160 bits (20 bytes) and are generated utilizing a hash perform. As Smith defined, this dimension makes it susceptible to the BHT (Brassard-Høyer-Tapp) algorithm, a 1997 quantum methodology designed to seek out collisions in hash features.
In accordance with QuantumEVM executives, for 20-byte addresses, BHT requires roughly 10¹⁶ quantum operations to seek out collisions and violate these addresses. That’s, two totally different inputs that produce the identical deal with. You could possibly entry another person’s funds with out stealing their personal keys..
Smith mentioned the dangers are higher with Ethereum than with Bitcoin. EVM community good contract addresses are generated utilizing a hash and a nonce. Creates easier and easier-to-attack quantum circuits. Bitcoin, however, obtains addresses via a personal key, a public key, and two totally different hash features, making the circuitry required for an assault extra complicated.
The answer carried out by QuantumEVM is: Transfer to 256-bit (32-byte) deal with. At this scale, Smith estimates that the identical BHT assault would require roughly 2⁸5 operations, a threshold that’s virtually unfeasible.
Can the identical answer be utilized to Ethereum?
Technically sure. A dialogue thread about shifting from 20 to 32 bytes of addresses has existed on Ethereum Magicians, a reference discussion board for Ethereum builders, since 2021, however the final remark was made in August 2025, indicating that the Ethereum ecosystem has different priorities.
This proposal features a new opcode for producing 32-byte addresses and a compatibility mechanism with present contracts.
The obstacles are structural, not technical. Just about your entire Ethereum ecosystem, contracts, wallets, exchanges, indexers, and bridges based mostly on ERC-20 and ERC-721 requirements count on 20-byte addresses.
Shifting means large exhausting forka brand new technology of addressing and compression mechanisms to keep up compatibility with legacy contracts. As of March 2026, no formal proposal is underway and there’s no clear date for the transition.
Different options and roadmap
Along with the deal with redesign, Smith additionally mentioned different options of the QuantumEVM community. Transactions observe a strict first-come, first-served foundation. This eliminates the opportunity of a validator altering the order of operations to extract worth on the expense of the person. It is a observe generally known as MEV (Most Extractable Worth).
Moreover, the price of gasoline is mounted in greenback phrases and adjustments inversely with the worth of the native QEVM token. The challenge additionally has bridges to Ethereum and BNB Sensible Chain.
In accordance with the revealed roadmap, the challenge is contemplating a public sale of tokens, itemizing on a centralized trade, and beginning the primary safety audit within the first quarter of 2026.
Lastly, for Q2, mainnet launch, staking, full availability of EVM and DeFi instruments are predicted. The corporate plans to launch wallets for Android and iOS within the third quarter.
