Crypto07 April, 20261 min read
Quantum Computers Pose Impractical Threat to Bitcoin Mining, Experts Say
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Attacking bitcoin mining via quantum computers would require energy of a star. BTQ Technologies study finds quantum mining impractical at scale due to extreme energy and qubit needs.
Mining Energy Barrier
Academic research has established that attacking bitcoin mining would require energy equivalent to a star, making it physically unreachable. BTQ Technologies concluded that astronomical quantum fleets at energy scales far above present-day civilization would be needed. The real cryptographic crisis is bitcoin's vulnerability to quantum attacks on digital signatures due to exposed public keys.
CoinDesk explained that current fears conflate wallet vulnerabilities with largely impractical threats to mining. ChainCatcher emphasized that quantum mining is physically impossible and Bitcoin can be upgraded.
Wallet Vulnerabilities and Upgrades
Bitcoin's security rests on digital signatures rather than encryption, a distinction often misunderstood. Quantum computers can theoretically derive a private key from a public key using Shor's algorithm.
About 6.26 million bitcoin public keys have been exposed, providing a limited attack window. Bitcoin can be upgraded; related work has already begun with proposals like BIP-360.
Media Misrepresentation
The quantum threat to Bitcoin is real but still far off. Media headlines frequently suggest bitcoin is on the verge of collapse. ChainCatcher said both extremes of panic and dismissal are wrong.
Quantum headlines often conflate attacks on digital signatures with quantum-accelerated mining. Much of the public discourse is based on simplified problems that don't reflect real-world cryptography.