Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao urged the crypto industry to adopt quantum-resistant algorithms after a Google whitepaper warned that 6.9 million Bitcoin (BTC) face growing exposure to quantum computing attacks that may require far fewer resources than previously thought.
CZ's Quantum Upgrade Call
Google's Quantum AI team published the paper on Mar. 30, finding that cracking the cryptography behind Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) could require fewer than 500,000 physical qubits. Earlier estimates placed that figure in the millions.
The research also described a scenario in which a quantum computer could derive a private key from an exposed public key in roughly nine minutes — fast enough to beat Bitcoin's 10-minute confirmation window about 41% of the time.
Zhao responded on X with a direct message: "All crypto has to do is upgrade to Quantum-Resistant (Post-Quantum) Algorithms. So, no need to panic."
He followed that with a warning that executing such a migration across decentralized networks would be difficult.
Coordination problems, disagreements over which algorithms to adopt and the forks that may result are all likely, he said. Some projects may never migrate. Zhao suggested that failing or dormant ones might be better off disappearing than becoming easy targets.
He also flagged short-term risks tied to any large-scale cryptographic overhaul.
New code can introduce vulnerabilities, and users who self-custody will need to move funds to upgraded wallets.
On Satoshi's coins (Google claims they are threatened, too), Zhao proposed that if those addresses remain dormant long enough, they should be locked or effectively burned to keep them out of reach of future attackers.
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Ethereum and Bitcoin Quantum Defenses
The industry has already started preparing. The Ethereum Foundation launched a dedicated post-quantum security hub on Mar. 25, drawing on eight years of research.
On the Bitcoin side, BTQ Technologies released Bitcoin Quantum testnet v0.3.0 on Mar. 20. It implemented the first working version of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360, a practical experiment in quantum-resilient signatures.
Zhao closed his post on an optimistic note. "Fundamentally: It's always easier to encrypt than decrypt. More computing power is always good. Crypto will stay, post quantum," he wrote.
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