The Algorand Foundation has unveiled a plan to protect its blockchain from future quantum computers. The network aims to achieve full quantum resistance by the end of 2027, with the first steps starting as early as the third quarter of 2026.

Quantum computers — are a new type of machine. Over time they will be able to break the cryptography that today protects banks, the internet and blockchains. That is why governments and experts around the world are already preparing for such a future.

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Why this matters

The main threat is linked to Shor's algorithm. It is a mathematical method that a powerful quantum computer could use to compute a private key from a public one. If that happens, wallets based on elliptic curves will be at risk — and almost the entire industry runs on them.

Recent research by Google showed that such an attack would require roughly 1,200 logical qubits. A qubit is the basic unit of quantum computing. The figure named is a concrete benchmark, and it turned out to be lower than previous estimates.

Today's quantum computers are not yet capable of this. But the Algorand Foundation takes the threat seriously and has been preparing for it for several years now. At the same time, the foundation is not panicking: the new protection methods are still young and have not been tested by time like the familiar systems.

What Algorand has already done

Preparations began back in 2022. That year Algorand introduced State Proofs technology — these are protected "snapshots" of the network's state that are resistant to quantum attacks. Since then the network has processed more than 140,000 quantum-resistant transactions.

At the heart of the protection lies the Falcon signature scheme. It is one of the new cryptographic methods capable of withstanding quantum computers. Its main drawback — is the compact signature size, which matters for saving traffic.

Source: BeInCrypto