Bitcoin’s ‘last resort’ quantum-safe solution just got 79% cheaper: StarkWare
A weeklong optimization challenge cut the estimated GPU cost of preparing an experimental quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction to under $67, potentially making the “last-resort measure” a little easier on the wallet.
Bitcoin's potential defense against future quantum attacks, known as StarkWare's Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) solution, has become significantly more affordable, thanks to a week-long optimization challenge. The estimated GPU cost to prepare an experimental QSB transaction has dropped below $67, down from $320 for the first such mainnet transaction in August.
This reduction was achieved by participants in the Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Optimization Challenge, who found ways to decrease the GPU computation required to build a quantum-safe Bitcoin transaction. While the latest optimizations have only been demonstrated in benchmark tests, StarkWare's researchers believe that the cost of $67 is closer to what a large unexposed Bitcoin holder might realistically consider as a last-resort measure.
The QSB design, outlined in April by StarkWare researcher Avihu Levy, aims to provide hash-based protection against quantum attacks without altering Bitcoin's consensus rules. StarkWare continues to advocate for protocol-level changes, but the cost reduction brings the experimental defense a step closer to practicality.
Written by urgent.news from Cointelegraph's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
