Bitcoin Developer Proposes Quantum-Resistant Upgrade

A Bitcoin developer has proposed a significant upgrade to the cryptocurrency's cryptographic foundation to safeguard it against potential threats from quantum computing. The proposal, titled Quantum-Resistant Address Migration Protocol (QRAMP), aims to enforce a network-wide migration of Bitcoin (BTC) from legacy wallets to those secured by post-quantum cryptography. This draft Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) was introduced by developer Agustin Cruz.

Quantum computing represents a paradigm shift from traditional binary code, leveraging quantum bits (qubits) that can exist in multiple states simultaneously. This exponential increase in computing power poses a threat to modern encryption methods developed by classical computers. The proposal suggests that after a predetermined block height, nodes running the updated software would reject any transaction attempting to spend coins from an address using ECDSA cryptography, which could be vulnerable to quantum attacks.

Bitcoin currently relies on algorithms such as SHA-256 for mining and the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) for signatures. According to Cruz, legacy addresses that haven’t transacted are protected by additional layers, while those that have exposed their public keys—necessary for transactions—may now be vulnerable if sufficiently powerful quantum computers emerge. This move would necessitate a hard fork, a change to the blockchain that renders an older version incompatible, which is likely to face resistance from the community.

One Reddit user expressed skepticism about the proposal, stating, "I admire the effort but this will still leave everyone who doesn’t migrate their coins vulnerable, including Satoshi’s coins." Another user noted, "Bitcoin could implement a post-quantum security for all coins, but that would need a hard fork, which due to Bitcoin’s history and the mantra repeated by maxis, would create a new coin and would not be Bitcoin anymore."

The proposed solution sets a migration deadline to lock funds unless they are moved to a more secure wallet. This is a preventive measure rather than a response to an imminent breakthrough in quantum computing. It comes shortly after Microsoft unveiled Majorana 1, a quantum processing unit designed to scale to a million qubits per chip. During the migration window, users would still be able to move funds freely. The BIP calls for wallet developers, block explorers, and other infrastructure providers to build tools and warnings to help users comply. After the deadline, non-upgraded nodes could fork from the network if they continue accepting legacy transactions.

This is not the first time a mechanism to defend Bitcoin from quantum computing threats has been suggested. Recently, BTQ, a startup working on blockchain technology resistant to quantum attacks, proposed an alternative to the Proof of Work (PoW) algorithm involving quantum technology. In its research paper, BTQ proposed a method called Coarse-Grained Boson Sampling (CGBS), which uses light particles (bosons) to generate unique patterns reflecting the blockchain’s current state instead of hash-based mathematical puzzles. However, this proposal would also require a hard fork involving miners and nodes replacing their existing ASIC-based hardware with quantum-ready infrastructure.