TRON Activates Falcon Post-Quantum Signatures as Ethereum Targets 2029 Resistance

TRON activated FN-DSA-512, also known as Falcon-512, on its Nile testnet, adding a post-quantum signing option as Ethereum works toward a broader resistance target across its core network systems.

Committee Proposal No. 20628 received 27 upvotes and changed the on-chain setting from “Not Activated” to “Activated” on July 1 at 11:36:42 p.m. ET (July 2, 03:36:42 UTC). The record confirms Falcon activation but does not confirm activation of ML-DSA-44, another post-quantum signature algorithm described in TRON’s design.

TRON’s planned system covers transactions, block production by Super Representatives, node-relay handshakes and the TRON Virtual Machine. It preserves the network’s existing 21-byte, T-prefixed address format while placing post-quantum signatures alongside existing ECDSA signatures.

The first implementation phase carries the full post-quantum public key in each transaction. A separate public-key database is proposed for a later draft phase. The design specifies an 896-byte public key for Falcon-512 and a 1,312-byte public key for ML-DSA-44. Falcon signatures range from 617 to 667 bytes under the specified encoding.

The design specifies that both algorithms are disabled by default and require separate governance activation. Proposal No. 20628 confirms Falcon activation, but not ML-DSA-44 activation. It also acknowledges increased transaction and storage overhead from the larger cryptographic data.

Ethereum’s program is broader, covering ECDSA transaction signatures, BLS validator signatures and KZG commitments used for data availability. Its plans also include hash-based validator signatures, SNARK-based signature aggregation and a staged migration for accounts.

The Ethereum Foundation’s protocol team is targeting December 2029 for post-quantum resistance across Ethereum’s execution, consensus and data layers. The foundation describes the target as self-imposed and “non-negotiable” until January 2027, while acknowledging that the schedule is aggressive.

“And my completion date for Ethereum being fully post-quantum secure is 2029,” Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake said.

Ethereum’s separate post-quantum program divides the work into infrastructure readiness, gradual adoption and protocol-level consolidation. It says Layer 1 upgrades could be completed by 2029, but full execution-layer migration may require additional years and has no single fixed completion date.

The approaches differ in scope and implementation stage. TRON has activated one post-quantum signing path on a public testnet, while Ethereum is planning a network-wide transition covering transaction authorization, validator consensus and data availability. Ethereum’s target remains a roadmap objective rather than a guaranteed deadline.