The presentations given by Clara and myself at the @PresidioBitcoin Quantum Bitcoin Summit held last week are now available at

Post-Quantum Bitcoin

Exploring the intersection of Bitcoin and Quantum Computing

Life imitates Bluey Minisode S01 Episode 8 - Tattoo Shop

Perth BitDevs - Tonight 6pm at Phat Brew Good mix of topics this month including: - Perth bloke launches NostrMQ @Pete Winn 🔆 - The filter wars continue and even escalate - Node fingerprint attacks - CTV and CSFS letter and mailing list discussions - BitVM3 and garbled circuits - Descriptor encrypt - Bitcoin Treasury update - Ashigaru Whirlpool & Terminal - Frostsnap device released Hope to see you there!

Had a great chat with @Stephan Livera along with my co-author Clara in talking about Quantum Computing and what it means for Bitcoin. (Now I see why a good mic is essential…)

Fountain

Stephan Livera Podcast • The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin explained with Clara Shikhelman and Anthony Milton | SLP670 • Listen on Fountain

Clara Shikhelman Head of Research at ChaincodeLabs and Anthony Milton join me to explain the quantum threat to Bitcoin and possible mitigations:Tim...

The latest from Clara and I on Bitcoin’s quantum computing challenges ⁉️

Bitcoin Magazine

What Happens To Bitcoin When Quantum Computers Arrive?

A high level overview of the recent report by Chaincode Labs on the threat quantum computing poses to Bitcoin.

If you didn’t make it through the original report this is a nice and short summary 🤗

“Flowers may bloom again, but a person never has a chance to be young again” Bluey - Takeaway Season 1, episode 14

Read the full report here: https://chaincode.com/bitcoin-post-quantum.pdf Thanks to Chaincode Labs for the support 🫶

Moving Forward ⏩ This report shows that the Bitcoin community has long been aware of the threat posed by CRQCs and has been debating and discussing Bitcoin’s response for some time. However, the window for careful, deliberate action exists today, and will narrow as quantum computing advances. This makes proactive preparation not merely prudent, but essential for Bitcoin's long-term survival.

Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Efforts in Bitcoin 🧑‍💻 Several leading cryptographers and Bitcoin developers have been joined by a number of new and enthusiastic contributors to design, develop and discuss approaches for Bitcoin’s quantum readiness. While there are a number of existing proposals, this is a rapidly evolving area of research, so it is expected that there will be many improvements in PQC and its application to Bitcoin in the near future.

Burn vs. Steal Dilemma 🤔 Preparing Bitcoin for CRQCs isn’t just a technical challenge, it’s a philosophical one. Should quantum-vulnerable coins be burned or allowed to be stolen by those with CRQCs? This question strikes at Bitcoin’s core principles of property rights, censorship resistance, and conservatism, and may be the most significant test of Bitcoin's decentralised governance model to date.

Bitcoin Mining Resilience 💪 The use and impact of quantum computers for Bitcoin mining, quantum mining, is a different story. Quantum miners would have to compete with highly specialized and optimised ASICs. Grover’s algorithm offers a limited advantage and can’t be parallelized like classical mining. Mining is expected to remain more quantum-resilient than transaction signatures.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) Weakness ❗ The ECC-based signatures used in Bitcoin are vulnerable to being broken by CRQCs, putting an estimated 4-10 million BTC ($400B-$1T) at risk - representing 20-50% of Bitcoin's ~19.9 million total supply. Funds most vulnerable to CRQCs are large institutional and exchange holdings, where public keys have been exposed due to "address reuse" practices, and Satoshi-era funds due to script type.

Timeline 🕰️ Experts project CRQCs may emerge by 2030–2035; the report proposes a dual-track strategy to ensure Bitcoin’s quantum readiness: - A minimal contingency path (~2 years) for rapid response to unexpected breakthroughs. - A comprehensive path (~7 years) to develop and refine optimal PQC solutions

Is Bitcoin ready for the quantum computing era? Clara Shikhelman and I explore the threats posed by cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) and outline a strategic path forward for Bitcoin to become quantum resistant. Key takeaways 👇

Regret and “what ifs” are nice thought experiments. But they’re not worth getting hung up about. I sometimes think about starting working in the Bitcoin space earlier, and how far ahead I might from where I am now (starting a few month ago in terms is going deeper down the technical rabbit hole). But if I hadn’t had all my preceding experience, I wouldn’t be the person I am, which may not necessarily be (wouldn’t have been) the best path towards that track anyway Fate has not brought you here, but embrace, don’t hate the current you. You’re not perfect, but you’ve got this, you are YOU