Algorand Rises on Google's Post-Quantum Cryptography Paper

Google's recent release of a white paper on post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has sparked interest in the blockchain community, particularly with regards to Algorand.

The paper, 'Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities,' estimates that the quantum resources needed to break 256-bit elliptic curve cryptography could be reduced to 1,200 to 1,450 logical qubits. This has significant implications for blockchains that rely on this type of cryptography.

Algorand is one such blockchain that has already implemented PQC technology. According to the paper, Algorand was a case in which PQC has been deployed on a quantum-vulnerable blockchain. Specifically, the lattice-based signature scheme Falcon was applied to smart transactions and state proofs in 2025.

The use of PQC-protected transactions was also highlighted by Google, as well as a rekey function that allows account secret keys to be changed. This feature is seen as a design that takes into account the future transition to PQC.