Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has issued a critical warning that Bitcoin developers must urgently prepare for quantum computing threats that could compromise the network's security by 2030.
During his presentation at the All-In Summit 2025, Yakovenko stated there's a "50/50 probability" that quantum computers will achieve sufficient power within five years to break Bitcoin's current cryptographic protections securing digital wallets.
"Bitcoin needs to transition to a quantum-resistant signature protocol immediately," he emphasized.
The primary concern involves quantum machines potentially running Shor's algorithm, which could decrypt the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm currently safeguarding Bitcoin private keys. Such a breakthrough would enable transaction forgery and wallet compromises, representing an existential threat to the entire Bitcoin network.
Community Response and Challenges
Implementing such changes presents significant challenges for Bitcoin's architecture. Transitioning to post-quantum cryptography would necessitate a hard fork—a technically complex and highly divisive process requiring broad network consensus without backward compatibility.
While Yakovenko stressed the urgency, crypto community leaders expressed skepticism about the immediacy of the threat. Blockstream CEO Adam Back suggested quantum technology remains distant and that making Bitcoin quantum-resistant would be "relatively straightforward."
Bitcoin Core contributor Peter Todd previously noted on social media that functional quantum computers "don't exist yet," dismissing current demonstrations as "toy problems." Another Core developer, Luke Dashjr, identified spam and developer corruption as more pressing immediate threats than quantum computing.
Yakovenko countered that AI advancements demonstrate how quickly laboratory breakthroughs can become real-world technologies. He asserted that when major tech companies like Apple or Google deploy quantum-safe cryptographic solutions, "that's when migration becomes imperative."