Ethlabs proposes quantum-resistant Ethereum accounts for 2027, at a higher fee
In brief
- pqai27, Ethlabs' Nov. 11 proposal, targets quantum-resistant Ethereum accounts and consensus in 2027.
- Quantum-enabled transactions would cost more than ordinary ones because they take up more space.
- The proposal specifies no numerical fee premium, and full capacity doesn't establish fee parity.
- Draft EIP-8141, or Frame Transactions, forms part of the proposed foundation.
- Ethlabs said it will withdraw its Quick Slots proposal from Hegotá to focus on pqai27.
Two stages, one proposed target
The proposal targets readiness for quantum-resistant accounts and consensus in 2027, CryptoSlate reported. It's still only a proposal, and full-capacity support is a stretch goal for that year.
Ethlabs splits the path in two. At "pqai-ready," Ethereum would have post-quantum consensus and every user would have a post-quantum route for their account. At "pqai-scaled," the network would support full-capacity quantum-enabled transactions and blobs (the data objects used by rollups), with signature aggregation and post-quantum data availability providing that later path to full scale.
Between those stages, Ethlabs proposed an optional fallback to calldata for quantum-enabled transactions, which would carry their data in regular blocks before post-quantum blobs are available. Rollups could choose post-quantum calldata at readiness. Post-quantum blobs belong to the full-scale stage.
The cost question
The plan doesn't put a number on the premium.
That's the costly part. The proposal supplies no numerical fee premium, and reaching full capacity wouldn't establish fee parity either, so users who move sooner would pay more per transaction without a published figure to plan around.
Frames, SPHINCS and Hegotá
Part of the foundation is draft EIP-8141, known as Frame Transactions. It'd let account code define how transactions are validated and how gas is paid, creating a native route away from elliptic-curve signatures and supporting key rotation. Ethlabs' plan pairs Frames with the SPHINCS post-quantum signature scheme and other account proposals.
Ethereum.org's Hegotá roadmap (last updated Oct. 16) lists Frames as scheduled for inclusion in that upgrade, which is still in planning with an unconfirmed date, according to CryptoSlate. That listing is separate from pqai27. Ethlabs said it'll withdraw its Quick Slots proposal for faster slots from Hegotá and redirect its resources toward pqai27.
Consensus is a separate, substantial task, and the design choice hasn't been settled. Ethlabs also placed an orderly user migration, including tooling and wallet support, outside the network upgrade schedule, so protocol readiness alone wouldn't finish the job. Wallets and users would still have practical work to do before adoption is complete.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ethlabs' pqai27 proposal?
pqai27 is a proposal from Ethereum research group Ethlabs that targets readiness for quantum-resistant accounts and consensus in 2027. It would give users a post-quantum route for their accounts before Ethereum can process those transactions at full scale. Full-capacity support is a stretch goal, and the target is still only a proposal.
Why would quantum-resistant Ethereum transactions cost more?
According to the proposal, quantum-enabled transactions take up more space than ordinary ones, so they would cost more. The proposal gives no numerical fee premium, and full-capacity support would not establish fee parity.
How does EIP-8141 fit into Ethereum's quantum plans?
Draft EIP-8141, known as Frame Transactions, would let account code define how transactions are validated and how gas is paid. That creates a native route away from elliptic-curve signatures and supports key rotation. Ethlabs' plan pairs Frames with the SPHINCS post-quantum signature scheme.
