Ethereum Co-Founder Unveils ‘The Splurge’ to Target ETH Quantum Future

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has unveiled a forward-looking plan for enhancing the Ethereum blockchain, aptly named “The Splurge.” The ambitious roadmap marks a pivotal step in Ethereum’s evolution, addressing crucial technical challenges, bolstering security against future quantum computing threats, and refining user interactions.

The Splurge emerges as the natural culmination of previous milestones like The Merge, The Surge, and The Scourge, which focused on scalability, efficiency, and security, laying the groundwork for more advanced cryptographic upgrades.

The Splurge Main Purpose

The Splurge’s primary objective is to equip Ethereum with robust cryptographic mechanisms to counter potential threats posed by quantum computers.

While acknowledging that powerful quantum computers are currently nonexistent, Buterin emphasizes the importance of proactively developing quantum-resistant algorithms. Arguably, this foresight acknowledges the potential for quantum computers to crack traditional cryptographic protections.

Furthermore, the Splurge roadmap outlines the development of alternative encryption methods like lattice-based cryptography, which hold the potential to withstand quantum attacks. This proactive measure ensures Ethereum’s long-term security in an evolving technological landscape.

Beyond quantum preparedness, The Splurge aims to enhance Ethereum’s functionality through significant improvements to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

Moreover, the upcoming Pectra upgrade will introduce the EVM Object Format (EOF), a revolutionary framework that separates code from data, facilitating more efficient execution of smart contracts on Ethereum layer 2s.

Additionally, the structural shift will pave the way for future EVM upgrades, including the introduction of modular arithmetic extensions and single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) capabilities. These enhancements will streamline advanced cryptographic tasks, improving security and efficiency.

Ethereum to Broaden Blockchain Algorithms

They will also broaden Ethereum’s capabilities, allowing it to support a wider range of cryptographic algorithms, essential for future blockchain-proofing. The Splurge also proposes a paradigm shift in user interaction with Ethereum by implementing account abstraction.

This protocol-level feature empowers smart contracts to control transaction initiation and validation, going beyond Ethereum’s current elliptic curve signatures. This allows for the integration of quantum-resistant algorithms in user interactions.

EIP-7701, slated for the Pectra update, aims to make account abstraction accessible to all Ethereum users, enabling transactions with ERC-20 tokens for gas fees.

Buterin further envisions a dynamic transaction fee structure through “multidimensional gas.” This innovative approach introduces variable costs based on specific resource usage, potentially aligning transaction fees more accurately with network demand.

Currently, EIP-1559 establishes a base fee per transaction but doesn’t account for the varying requirements of different operations. Multidimensional gas will allow for separate costs for components like call data and storage expansion, aligning gas fees more closely with network usage.