# Ethereum Researchers Reopen the Hash Choice After New Proof Systems Make Standard Hashes Cheap

With the binary-field prover Flock able to prove tens of thousands of standard hash compressions per second on a single core, the constraint that pushed Ethereum toward Poseidon no longer binds.

- Published: 2026-09-23T11:09:57.416Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-09-23/ethereum-researchers-reopen-the-hash-choice-after-new-proof
- Publisher: Polylog (Crypto desk)
- Section: crypto
- Sources: [Ethereum Research](https://ethresear.ch/t/post-poseidon-hash-function-variants-for-ethereum/26071</source-url), [IACR ePrint](https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2152), [Polylog editors](https://polylog.news)

Ethereum researchers have published a fresh comparison of candidate hash functions for the protocol, arguing that the emergence of Flock as a post-quantum proof system for binary circuits removes the need for specially circuit-friendly hash…

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