StarkWare's Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Challenge Cuts Transaction Costs by 79%

The estimated cost of preparing a quantum-resistant Bitcoin transaction has dropped by 79% since August, according to StarkWare. The company's Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Optimization Challenge resulted in 62 accepted improvements across two computational tasks needed for QSB transactions.

This cut the estimated computing cost from around $320 to below $67 per transaction, based on benchmark tests. The development comes as researchers work on quantum-resistant protections, including QSB, amid growing concerns that a powerful enough quantum computer could break Bitcoin's elliptic-curve digital signatures and steal exposed coins.

A StarkWare researcher described the current cost of around $67 as 'closer to something a holder with a large unexposed balance might reach for in an emergency'.