Justin Drake's 2028 goal leaves Ethereum two years for three hard forks

Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake said at Devcon 8 in Mumbai on Tuesday that developers would have 24 months after the Glamsterdam upgrade to carry out three hard forks and finish Ethereum's post-quantum and post-AI transition by December 2028. That is a year earlier than the foundation's official December 2029 deadline, set in a September 7 post on protocol priorities and described as non-negotiable until January 2027, when outside experts will review quantum progress. Full quantum resistance requires five hard forks after Glamsterdam, and Drake's timetable implies one every eight months. Auditors' gas-accounting findings in two Glamsterdam proposals postponed its Hoodi testnet activation from October 26, reducing the chance of a December mainnet launch.