The founder of Cardano, Charles Hoskinson, claims that quantum threats to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are currently overrated. He argues that the industry already knows how to build systems resistant to quantum, but lacks the efficiency and hardware compatibility to transition to new technologies.

During the last podcast, he described quantum as a "big distraction." He then added that true urgency will only arise when military quantum tests yield credible progress.

Quantum threats are distracting from crypto

Hoskinson explained that blockchains could migrate to quantum-safe cryptography, but the performance compromise is significant:

“The protocols for this are about 10 times slower and 10 times more expensive to operate.”

He emphasized that no network wants to sacrifice bandwidth for future security, stating:

“I have a thousand transactions per second. Now I will be executing a hundred transactions per second, but I am resistant to quantum. No one wants to be that guy.”

Standards remain a guardian

The founder of Cardano linked delays in quantum security to standardization. Until early government guidelines emerged, the sector risked adopting algorithms that could later become obsolete or unsupported. Referring to FIPS 203–206 under the NIST program for post-quantum cryptography, he said:

“We had to wait for the U.S. government to write the standards.”

Now hardware providers have guidelines for building accelerated silicon for approved post-quantum algorithms.

Hoskinson emphasized why this matters for the performance of blockchains: “If you choose a custom protocol… you are 100 times slower than hardware acceleration.”

He said compliance with NIST ensures both speed and security without locking networks into inefficient cryptography for a decade.

This signifies a turning point. Post-quantum standards already exist, and the U.S. government has started to adopt them.

Large infrastructure players like Cloudflare have already integrated PQ key exchange with mainstream traffic. This signals that migration pressure is slowly building in internet security stacks.

Quantum threats to crypto are defined in time, but not immediate

Hoskinson's approach reflects broader views in cryptography research. Quantum threats to blockchain signatures are real but not present.

Researchers and financial security analysts still view CRQC-level systems as an event from the 2030s, not as a current threat. The risk stems from the question of when to migrate, not whether.

This window now has a reference point. “DARPA has a program called QBI, Quantum Blockchain Initiative” – Hoskinson said.

According to him, the program assesses 11 companies to determine whether practical quantum computers can exist on a large scale by 2033.

He called QBI the brightest public benchmark for journalists tracking progress, adding:

“The military needs to know — when will we update our cryptography and how will we do it?”

Recent actions support his caution. While quantum research continues — from work on topological qubits, like Majorana-based devices from Microsoft, to large PQ implementations in communication infrastructure — there is a lack of evidence suggesting an imminent downfall of cryptographic technology.

Post-quantum migration is ongoing, but cost, delays, and ecosystem fragmentation remain obstacles for blockchains.

Why does this matter?

Hoskinson's comments cut through a debate often driven by speculation, not technical data. The quantum-safe blockchain project exists, but its premature activation slows networks, raises transaction costs, and fragments developer tools.

With completed NIST standardization and emerging hardware roadmaps, networks are moving towards planning, not panic.

Most experts believe that the change will happen in the next decade. Hoskinson shared this view:

“Most smart people believe there is a high probability that something will happen in the 2030s.”

By then, efficiency, competition, and hardware-accelerated support will determine when blockchains switch to quantum-safe cryptography.

To read the latest cryptocurrency market analysis from BeInCrypto, click here.