Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko is calling out Ethereum’s Layer 2 networks for not being “quantum safe.” The warning landed on May 2, as Solana developers highlighted Falcon-512—a new digital signature system designed to protect against quantum computer attacks that could, at some point, break current blockchain cryptography.
Here’s the core dispute: Most blockchains, including Ethereum and its Layer 2s, use cryptographic systems designed for today’s computers, not the future potential of quantum machines. Falcon-512 is part of a new wave of cryptography that aims to stay secure even if quantum computing leaps forward. With Ethereum Layer 2s, a lot of activity happens off the main chain and gets settled back on Ethereum, so their security depends on the cryptographic assumptions not only of Ethereum itself but also of wallets, bridges, and sequencers tied into the Layer 2 systems.
Quantum computers powerful enough to threaten public blockchains aren’t here today. The immediate question Yakovenko raises is strategic: as blockchain activity moves to Layer 2s, making those layers quantum-safe becomes a bigger, ecosystem-wide project—not just an upgrade for Ethereum alone. For now, this looks less like an emergency and more like a long-term debate over which crypto networks are better prepared for a post-quantum future.