Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Transaction Executed on Mainnet Without Consensus Changes

Starkware successfully executed a quantum-safe Bitcoin transaction on mainnet without any changes to the network's consensus rules. The transaction, made using Starkware researcher Avihu Levy's QSB method, was mined on August 26 and cost around $150-$200 in computational work.

The experiment demonstrates an opt-in defense against future quantum attacks, but it remains nonstandard and costly. Starkware still favors a Bitcoin soft fork as the best solution to protect against quantum threats.

Avihu Levy's QSB method replaces signature risk with hash-based security, using a technique called signature grinding that shifts most of the computational work offchain before the transaction is broadcast.