Ethereum’s ‘Splurge’ update to address quantum threats, says Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin recently discussed Ethereum’s “The Splurge” upgrade, which he claims will make the network resistant to Quantum computing threats.

In a blog post dated Oct. 29, Buterin discussed the extensive work still needed to achieve this goal, explaining that The Splurge phase will focus on enhancing Ethereum’s security, transaction efficiency, and cryptographic resilience.

In his post, Buterin remarked that “quantum computers do not even exist” in a form powerful enough to pose a genuine threat to blockchain encryption. 

According to him, current quantum computers as either early prototypes or devices “not real” in their capabilities, noting they cannot yet handle meaningful calculations that would pose a risk to Ethereum’s security.

Buterin added that the timeline for when quantum computing would be available to the masses would come “decades” after “powerful institutions get one that can crack elliptic curve cryptography.”

This Splurge is part of Ethereum’s multi-phase roadmap, which includes The Merge, The Surge, The Scourge, The Verge, The Purge, and The Splurge, each aimed at strengthening different parts of the blockchain.

The Splurge intends to stabilise the end-game state of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), introduce “account abstraction,” and explore “advanced cryptography” to ensure long-term network security.

To enhance Ethereum’s quantum resistance, the Spkurge phase will gradually integrate quantum-resistant cryptography through account abstraction and advanced cryptographic primitives, like zk-STARKs. 

Other tactics include adding support for quantum-resistant algorithms, such as hash-based cryptographic techniques, and allowing flexible account security, including rotating cryptographic keys.

Additionally, future advancements like fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) and indistinguishability obfuscation—outlined in the Splurge—could further strengthen Ethereum’s defences by enabling secure computations without revealing sensitive data, making quantum attacks more challenging.

The Splurge will also “optimise” Ethereum’s transaction fee model through a concept Buterin terms “multidimensional gas.”

The goal is to improve scalability “while reducing risks.”

According to the Ethereum co-founder, the approach aims to introduce separate prices and limits for separate resources, which can reduce “worst-case” resource usage, thereby reducing “the need to optimize performance in order to support eg. STARKed hash-based binary trees.”

The Verge

This concept is not new; Buterin had previously discussed it in another blog post, addressing plans for Ethereum’s “The Verge” stage.

Under The Verge, the focus is on improving node operations to be more resource-efficient.

A major change expected from this phase is the introduction of “stateless verification,” which would allow nodes to validate blocks without requiring vast amounts of storage.

This upgrade could make Ethereum node operations more accessible and affordable, potentially enabling lighter devices to perform verification tasks.

To achieve this, Ethereum developers are exploring the use of STARK-based binary hash trees, which provide a more quantum resistant and scalable option but also require more resources like computational power and memory. 

According to Buterin, Implementing multidimensional gas models can help reduce resource strain by assigning specific gas costs to different resource types.

The Scourge

In an Oct. 21 blog post, the Ethereum co-founder disclosed details of the “Scourge” phase which will tackle some key issues like reducing the centralisation of Ethereum Staking, which according to Buterin can lead to a higher risk of 51% attacks and transaction censorship.

To tackle the issue, Buterin suggested a two-tier staking model: one tier for “risk-bearing” (slashable) staking and another for “risk-free” (unslashable) staking.

This setup aims to balance rewards and risks, helping prevent a few large players from gaining too much control over the network.

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