Blockstream CEO and early crypto pioneer Adam Back has urged the Bitcoin community to begin developing quantum-resistant solutions, despite the threat likely being decades away. Speaking at Paris Blockchain Week, Back emphasized a proactive, controlled approach to upgrading cryptography, while acknowledging current quantum computers remain in an experimental stage. The call for preparation follows recent research suggesting the quantum threat may be closer than previously estimated, sparking debate within the community.
Bitcoin should start building defenses against future quantum computing threats now, according to **Blockstream** CEO **Adam Back**. He stated the technology is still in a lab-experiment phase, but prudent preparation is necessary.
“That said, Bitcoin should prepare,” Back said, advocating for optional upgrades. His company has a dedicated quantum research team examining potential network vulnerabilities.
Part of this work involves implementing hash-based signatures on Blockstream’s Liquid Network. Back also noted that Bitcoin’s Taproot protocol could support new signature schemes without disrupting current users.
Recent research suggests the quantum threat timeline may be accelerating. Last month, Google and California Institute of Technology researchers argued functional quantum computers could arrive sooner than expected.
Google researchers claimed these machines could break Bitcoin’s cryptography in as little as nine minutes. This would enable so-called “on-spend” attacks by malicious actors.
When asked about a faster-than-expected quantum breakthrough, Back expressed confidence in developers’ ability to respond. “We’ve seen that before — bugs have been identified and fixed within hours,” he stated.
A separate proposal to preemptively freeze quantum-vulnerable Bitcoin, including Satoshi Nakamoto‘s $81.9 billion stash, has faced significant backlash. The proposal was introduced by Jameson Lopp and five other researchers.
Developer Mark Erhardt criticized the plan as “authoritarian and confiscatory.” Phil Geiger of Metaplanet sarcastically summarized the logic as having to steal money to prevent it from being stolen.
