Key facts
- The estimated GPU cost to prepare a quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction has fallen to $66.
- This represents a 79% reduction from the approximately $320 cost of the first such transaction in August.
- The cost reduction was achieved through a week-long optimization challenge involving developers and AI agents.
- The experimental quantum-safe solution does not require changes to Bitcoin's consensus rules.
- The optimizations have so far only been demonstrated in benchmark tests.
The estimated computational cost to prepare a quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction has fallen to under $67, a significant decrease from the approximately $320 required for the first such transaction in August. This reduction, achieved through a week-long optimization challenge organized by StarkWare, Yukon Research, and Eigen Labs, could make the experimental defense against future quantum attacks more practical for Bitcoin holders. The challenge invited developers and AI agents to improve the efficiency of building these transactions, resulting in 62 accepted improvements that cut the estimated computing cost by about 79%.
StarkWare researcher Avihu Levy had previously outlined the Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) design in April as a "last resort measure" due to its initial costs and complexity. The first QSB transaction was confirmed on August 26, requiring around 3,100 GPU-hours and costing approximately $320, excluding network fees. While the latest optimizations have only been demonstrated in benchmark tests, StarkWare noted that a cost of $67 is closer to something a holder with a large unexposed balance might use in an emergency. Despite these advancements, StarkWare still favors a soft fork as a better long-term solution for broad quantum protection on Bitcoin.