Researchers halve estimated quantum attack cost on Bitcoin and Ethereum

Researchers from the Ethereum Foundation, StarkWare and other institutions have reduced the estimated computational cost of a quantum attack on Bitcoin and Ethereum by more than 50%, beating Google's March benchmark on a core calculation used by Shor's algorithm. The team used AI agents to accelerate optimization work, adding a new variable to the quantum timeline that major crypto networks are already racing to address.

• The paper shared with CoinDesk shows the revised estimate using human and AI-driven methods.
• The work tightens the window before quantum computers could plausibly break the cryptography securing the two largest blockchains.