$BTC Today I came across a piece of news on my feed: Starkware claims that Bitcoin has completed its first experimental post-quantum transaction. Honestly, my first reaction was a bit surprised, because the topic of quantum computing threatening Bitcoin has been discussed for many years, but most of it has stayed at the theoretical level. Seeing someone actually perform a transaction-level, real-world validation feels quite different.
What I find particularly interesting is its approach: there’s no need to make major changes to the Bitcoin network. Instead, it leverages existing rules to achieve post-quantum protection. This is crucial, because the Bitcoin community has always been extremely cautious about changes. If there ever comes a day when quantum computers can threaten the current signatures, being able to complete the defense upgrade without a hard fork would be immensely significant.
That said, I’d like to pour some cold water. After all, this is just an experiment-type transaction. From concept validation to truly large-scale usability, there’s still a long road ahead. Quantum computers are also still far from actually cracking Bitcoin signatures. So claiming that Bitcoin is already safe and sound at this point is clearly premature.
My view is that the value of this lies not in the present, but in demonstrating a viable technical path. Finding a post-quantum solution without changing the underlying rules is, in itself, a direction worth continued attention. Going forward, I’ll keep an eye on two things: whether this scheme can pass more security audits, and whether more developers will join the testing. If both steps can be successfully achieved, then that’s a real milestone.
What I find particularly interesting is its approach: there’s no need to make major changes to the Bitcoin network. Instead, it leverages existing rules to achieve post-quantum protection. This is crucial, because the Bitcoin community has always been extremely cautious about changes. If there ever comes a day when quantum computers can threaten the current signatures, being able to complete the defense upgrade without a hard fork would be immensely significant.
That said, I’d like to pour some cold water. After all, this is just an experiment-type transaction. From concept validation to truly large-scale usability, there’s still a long road ahead. Quantum computers are also still far from actually cracking Bitcoin signatures. So claiming that Bitcoin is already safe and sound at this point is clearly premature.
My view is that the value of this lies not in the present, but in demonstrating a viable technical path. Finding a post-quantum solution without changing the underlying rules is, in itself, a direction worth continued attention. Going forward, I’ll keep an eye on two things: whether this scheme can pass more security audits, and whether more developers will join the testing. If both steps can be successfully achieved, then that’s a real milestone.