Post-Quantum Precompiles: EIP-8051 and EIP-8052 Explained

A deep dive into the two new precompile proposals that will enable quantum-safe signature verification at the execution layer.

EIP-8051: ML-DSA (Dilithium) Precompile

ML-DSA (formerly known as CRYSTALS-Dilithium) is a lattice-based signature scheme standardized by NIST. EIP-8051 proposes a precompiled contract for efficient onchain verification of ML-DSA signatures.

EIP-8052: Falcon Precompile

Falcon is a lattice-based scheme with significantly smaller signatures than ML-DSA, though with more complex signing. EIP-8052 provides a precompile for Falcon signature verification.

Gas cost considerations

Both precompiles are designed with gas costs that reflect the computational overhead of post-quantum verification while remaining practical for real-world usage through account abstraction.

How account abstraction ties it together

With ERC-4337 and native account abstraction, users can upgrade their account’s signature verification logic to use these precompiles without requiring protocol-level changes to transaction validation.