Ethereum Plans to Move Post-Quantum and AI-Resistant Upgrades Forward to 2027: Ethlabs Recommends Restructuring the Hegotá Hard Fork Plan

Author: TechFlow

On November 12, the non-profit Ethereum R&D laboratory Ethlabs published the original text of the pqai27 community proposal on its community forum, advocating for setting 2027 as the target year for Ethereum to achieve post-quantum and post-AI capabilities.

Data from DeFiLlama shows that as of November 12, the total value locked (TVL) on Ethereum exceeded $41.16 billion. The proposal argues that with AI accelerating its evolution and quantum timelines moving forward, Ethereum should leverage its existing hash-based cryptography and formal verification foundations to fortify its position as the global base for value settlement.

Quantum and AI Threats Accelerate, Making 2027 the Optimal Defense Window

The drastic compression of external cycles is the direct catalyst for proposing pqai27. The US government has moved its post-quantum target from 2035 to 2030. According to Google's official cryptography migration timeline, Google also plans to complete a full transition by 2029.

AI attack capabilities are also accelerating. OpenAI has already used advanced models to discover and patch approximately 1,000 vulnerabilities in Linux and solve hundreds of mathematical puzzles; "AI-resistance" refers to bolstering underlying defenses through minimalist hash primitives, formal verification, and client diversity.

Two-Phase Roadmap Breakdown: From Fallback Safeguards to Full-Capacity Scaling

The roadmap breaks down 2027 into baseline objectives and advanced extensions: the initial phase, "pqai-ready," requires the consensus layer to achieve post-quantum capabilities and ensures users can migrate to post-quantum accounts via the Frames account abstraction proposal EIP-8141; if existing cryptography fails prematurely, the network can still degrade to calldata to maintain operation.

The advanced objective, "pqai-scaled," targets full-network load operation, planning to introduce EIP-8288 post-quantum signature aggregation and post-quantum data availability EIP-8479, enabling post-quantum transactions and Blobs to return to normal throughput levels after scaling.

Restructuring Hegotá Fork Priorities, Withdrawing Rapid Block Proposal

To this end, Ethlabs recommends restructuring the scope of the Hegotá hard fork, removing non-critical path upgrades, and reassessing the impact of the FOCIL anti-censorship proposal (EIP-7805) on progress and compatibility; if the execution layer decouples from the consensus layer, Frames can be delivered independently first.

Meanwhile, the consensus layer must choose between retrofitting the existing Gasper implementation for post-quantum security and shifting toward a decoupled consensus model. Ethlabs announced the withdrawal of Quick Slots (EIP-8198) proposed for Hegotá, pushing it back to 2028, while Glamsterdam and its scaling plans proceed as scheduled.

Core Developer Negotiations Pending, Focus Remains on Long-Term Value Settlement Infrastructure

Currently, this roadmap remains a community initiative submitted by Ethlabs. Whether involving the restructuring of the Hegotá fork or switching the consensus layer, it requires further discussion and joint approval from Ethereum's All Core Devs.

Ethlabs notes that AI is also accelerating the optimization benchmarks for formal verification and zero-knowledge proofs; bringing pqai27 forward aims to solidify Ethereum and ETH's role as the trusted root for global value settlement during periods of extreme security challenges.