{
  "id": 9489692,
  "title": "Bitcoin’s ‘last resort’ quantum-safe solution just got 79% cheaper: StarkWare",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/bitcoins-last-resort-quantum-safe-solution-just-got-79-cheaper",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-24T04:52:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Cointelegraph",
    "slug": "cointelegraph",
    "url": "https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoins-last-resort-quantum-safe-solution-just-got-79-cheaper-starkware"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "QSB solution cost drops below $67, down from $320",
    "Optimization challenge reduces GPU computation for QSB transaction",
    "QSB aims to protect Bitcoin against quantum attacks"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The significant reduction in GPU cost brings StarkWare's experimental quantum-safe Bitcoin solution a step closer to practicality as a last-resort defense against future quantum attacks on the network.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}