For years, conversations about quantum computing and cryptocurrency have been dominated by one, breathless question: will quantum breakthrough kill Bitcoin?
Fear is quite simple. Bitcoin relies on cryptographic assumptions that could one day be broken by a sufficiently powerful quantum computer. If this happens, we think, the whole system will collapse. Wallets may be emptied. Property rights may be violated. Trust, the basis of the protocol, evaporates.
As someone who has worked at the intersection of cryptography, mathematics, and blockchain systems for decades, I understand the concern. I had this conversation with researchers like Professor Scott Aronsonone of the leading experts in the field of quantum computing. And while quantum computing will change many areas, we need to separate real risks from sci-fi panic.
Quantum computersif scaled significantly beyond what exists today, it could Shor's algorithm – Quantum technology designed to solve complex mathematical problems that protect modern encryption – to crack the elliptic curve signatures that protect Bitcoin wallets. This is a real risk, but a very specific and narrowly defined one.
Here's the truth: quantum computing won't kill you Bitcoin. But this will force him to evolve, and this evolution has already begun. Quantum computers cannot magically rewrite the entire Bitcoin ledger. They can't fake coins out of thin air. And they cannot bypass consensus or control the network.
What are they could in theory, these are target addresses whose public keys have already been revealed, for example during a transaction. This means that the threat is surgical and not systemic in nature.
The biggest misconception in this debate is that Bitcoin is frozen in time. This is wrong. Bitcoin has already undergone major upgrades. And it will develop again. If and when the quantum threat becomes real rather than theoretical, the network could move to the quantum-resistant signature schemes that already exist today.
Post-quantum security is not an addition to this ecosystem; this is inherent in its mathematical foundations. In other words, the tools for a quantum-safe future are not theoretical.
Any transformational technology forces outdated systems to improve. Quantum computing will do the same, accelerating the transition to more secure designs, better cryptography, and next-generation scalable architectures. Not only will quantum technology not destroy Bitcoin, but it could trigger its most important renewal cycle.
The only scenario in which Bitcoin faces existential risk is one in which the ecosystem waits too long, assuming quantum computing is always “ten years away.” Cryptographers, researchers and developers should treat the quantum shift as inevitable and prepare accordingly.
Quantum computing will change the global technology landscape. It will disrupt encryption standards, national security models, scientific research, drug discovery, and, yes, the blockchain ecosystem.
But it won't kill Bitcoin. This will force us to adopt cryptography that is more secure, more transparent, more elegant, and more future-proof. And in this future, blockchains providing post-quantum security, including STARK based systemsthe advanced mathematical approach to blockchain will not only survive, but thrive.
The future of cryptography is not a fear. This is evolution.
Eli Ben-SassonCEO and co-founder of StarkWare and Zcash, innovative mathematician best known as the co-creator of STARK..
