According to Woofun AI, Ripple is fully promoting the full transformation of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to a quantum-resistant cryptographic system by 2028 to deal with potential hacking threats posed by quantum computers. This strategy aims to ensure the security of existing accounts and assets while improving the overall level of network defense. Its core is to achieve seamless security upgrades through technical verification and node consensus.
According to information released by Ripple and the XRP Ledger Foundation on the 10th (Korea time), the plan strictly follows the four-phase roadmap published on April 20. In the second half of this year, the developer network will launch tests to allow existing electronic signatures to be used in parallel with quantum-resistant signatures.
According to data compiled by Woofun AI, the key to transformation is the key rotation function. Users can change transaction signature keys without changing the account address, thereby greatly reducing migration pressure. To this end, Ripple collaborated with Project Eleven to investigate system bugs and develop a prototype custodial wallet combining old and new signatures.
Currently, the XRP Ledger is considering introducing the ML-DSA-44 signature method standardized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Although the relevant proposal is in the draft stage, the XRP Ledger Foundation plans to conduct research in the first half of 2027 and continue to advance development, testing, and security audits from the second half of 2027 to 2028.
The external driving force that accelerated this process came from the Google (GOOGL.US) quantum AI team's March research results. The study suggests that cracking 256-bit elliptic curve cryptography may require less than 1,200 logical qubits, far lower than previously anticipated. This conclusion is seen as a warning sign that the blockchain industry must speed up the replacement of existing encryption methods.
However, quantum resistance technology can cause public keys and signature data to increase in size, which in turn affects transaction processing speed, storage space, and network costs. The general manager of Ripple X's engineering department, Aio Akinyele emphasized that the goal is to prepare solutions that can actually be put into use before quantum threats actually appear, rather than respond passively.
From a structural point of view, the quantum security transformation of the XRP ledger is not only a technical iteration, but also a test of the network consensus mechanism. Introducing a new encryption standard on the premise that existing account addresses remain the same requires balancing performance loss with security benefits. Following the challenges faced by traditional public key infrastructure, this is a key defensive restructuring of mainstream public chains on the underlying cryptographic architecture. Its success or failure will directly affect subsequent industry standards for asset custody and transaction efficiency.