@Algorand says it has processed roughly 1.7 million post-quantum transactions on mainnet since @Google published its widely discussed research on quantum threats to cryptocurrencies, as the n
@Algorand says it has processed roughly 1.7 million post-quantum transactions on mainnet since @Google published its widely discussed research on quantum threats to cryptocurrencies, as the network pushes its early start on quantum-resistant security as a competitive edge for $ALGO.
The figure is a company claim and has shifted in recent weeks. Algorand's own posts earlier this week cited over 1.5 million PQ-signed transactions, and secondary coverage has since reported more than 2.7 million. The numbers have not been independently audited in the sources reviewed.
The research behind the debate was published on March 30 by Google Quantum AI. It concluded that breaking the 256-bit elliptic curve problem underpinning Bitcoin and Ethereum transaction signatures would require fewer than 500,000 physical qubits, roughly a 20-fold reduction from earlier estimates. The authors stressed that such attacks are not yet feasible. They state that while quantum attacks are not yet feasible, the findings increase urgency for moving to post-quantum cryptography.
The paper also pointed to chains already working on the problem. According to a market report, it said Algorand had already deployed Falcon digital signatures for smart transactions and state proofs and had executed its first post-quantum-secured transaction in 2025. The same report noted that the paper did not say Algorand is fully quantum-secure today, only that it had implemented features to support future migration.
Algorand's technical documentation says the Algorand Foundation protocol team executed the first post-quantum transaction on the network using the Falcon signature scheme on mainnet. The chain's history is also protected: Falcon-1024 signatures generate state proofs every 256 rounds, making the ledger itself quantum-secure. That is only part of the picture, however. Algorand's own write-up says the hardest remaining step requires research into a post-quantum replacement for the Verifiable Random Function at the heart of its Pure Proof-of-Stake protocol.
There are trade-offs. Falcon signatures are approximately 10 times larger than Ed25519's 64-byte signatures, which affects message propagation, storage requirements, and verification costs.
Other networks are also preparing. One analysis noted that the Ethereum Foundation launched a dedicated post-quantum team, a four-year upgrade roadmap, and a central hub at pq.ethereum.org. It also described @Starknet as using hash-based cryptography that is considered quantum-resistant today. Algorand's transaction count, if it holds, shows live usage rather than roadmaps, though the volume does not settle how the wider industry will migrate.
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