CoinDesk
StarkWare says a week of AI-assisted coding cut the estimated GPU computing cost of preparing a quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction to $66 from about $320. The earlier figure came from a transaction mined on Bitcoin in August, after roughly 3,100 hours of computing across about 100 GPUs. The $66 estimate has not yet been demonstrated in another mined transaction, and compute cost is separate from the on-chain transaction fee.
Why it matters
The method is designed as an emergency option for eligible Bitcoin holders if quantum computers threaten wallets before the network adopts a broader fix. It uses hash-based protection within Bitcoin’s existing rules, so it does not require a network upgrade. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could use an exposed public key to derive its private key and steal funds.
AI-assisted competition submissions sped up the search process. The leading entry checked about 881 million candidates per second on the benchmark GPU, compared with about 146 million for the starting code. CoinDesk’s calculations applied to the listed cost breakdown implied about $83, while the competition site did not show which later results brought the estimate to $66.
Market impact
Lower computing costs could make this fallback more practical, but it has important limits: transactions must be sent directly to a miner rather than relayed through the network in the usual way. The method also cannot protect coins whose public keys are already exposed, the very coins a quantum attacker could target first. The estimate’s practical significance depends on reproducing the result in another mined transaction.
Frequently asked questions
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What does the $66 estimate cover?
It estimates the GPU computing cost of preparing a quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction. It does not include the fee paid to put the transaction on the blockchain.
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Has the $66 cost been confirmed in a mined Bitcoin transaction?
No. StarkWare says the improved estimate has not yet been demonstrated in another transaction mined on Bitcoin.
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How did AI-assisted coding lower the estimated cost?
Competition participants used AI tools to speed up the search process. The leading submission checked about 881 million candidates per second on the benchmark GPU, compared with about 146 million for the starting code.
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Does the quantum-resistant method require a Bitcoin upgrade?
No. The method works within Bitcoin’s existing rules and is intended as a potential emergency option for eligible holders.
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Which Bitcoin coins does the method fail to protect?
It cannot protect coins whose public keys are already exposed. Transactions using the method must also be sent directly to a miner rather than relayed through the network in the usual way.
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