StarkWare Successfully Tests Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Transaction
StarkWare researcher Avihu Levy has successfully carried out an experimental quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction on the mainnet, marking a significant milestone in the development of post-quantum resilience for the cryptocurrency. The transaction was confirmed in block 964,199 and used Levy's Quantum Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme.
According to StarkWare, QSB is designed to be quantum-resistant without requiring a protocol upgrade, relying instead on transaction-level cryptographic construction. This approach has been framed as a 'last-resort measure' rather than a full replacement for protocol-level improvements.
The computation required to create QSB transactions remains expensive, with StarkWare estimating the final test cost in the low hundreds of dollars (around $150, $200). The transaction was treated as nonstandard by Bitcoin Core relay policies, meaning typical nodes may not propagate them automatically. In this case, the transaction was submitted through MARA's Slipstream service to reach miners.
StarkWare's spokesperson Nathan Jeffay noted that completing the tested transaction cost 'low hundreds of dollars,' estimating roughly $150 to $200. StarkWare also said the overall process involved hours of computation, echoing earlier expectations around QSB's resource intensity.