Quantum Computing vs Bitcoin: Is a Crypto Security Revolution Coming?
Quantum Computing vs Bitcoin – The long-dismissed quantum computing threat to Bitcoin may be closer than many in the crypto world would like to admit, according to Jeff Park, an advisor at Bitwise Asset Management. Park compared the rising concern to climate change — a looming issue often ignored until it becomes unavoidable.
“Quantum computing is basically the climate change of Bitcoin,” Park wrote in a recent post. “Plenty of idiots deny it because they can’t possibly grasp the amorphous or the astronomical, and plenty of scientists understand it yet have no socially compelling solutions to offer.”
Washington’s Quantum Push
The warning comes as the U.S. government appears ready to take a more aggressive stance in the quantum race. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Washington is preparing to take equity stakes in several leading quantum computing firms, including Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, and IonQ.
Previously, the U.S. government had only supported quantum research through grants, but equity involvement signals a shift toward strategic investment and national interest. The move also positions the U.S. to better compete with China, which reportedly invests around $15 billion annually in quantum technology.
Bitcoin’s Quantum Defense: A Hard Fork on the Horizon?
Meanwhile, within the Bitcoin development community, discussions have already begun about defending against potential quantum attacks. Developer Agustin Cruz earlier this year proposed a Bitcoin hard fork that would replace the legacy ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) with post-quantum cryptographic signatures, such as Dilithium.
This proposal, still in the draft stage, could help safeguard Bitcoin’s security should quantum breakthroughs ever threaten the cryptographic foundation of the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
For now, the quantum era remains largely theoretical — but as both governments and developers ramp up preparations, the question may no longer be if quantum computing poses a risk to Bitcoin, but when.
