StarkWare将比特币量子安全备用方案成本降低79%

StarkWare reduces the cost of Bitcoin's quantum security alternative by 79%

After a week of AI-assisted coding work, the estimated cost of a bitcoin transaction with quantum-resistant capabilities dropped from $320 to $66. As the company behind multiple zero-knowledge proof technologies on blockchain, StarkWare has significantly reduced the estimated cost of the methodology. Costs are expected to drop by 79%, an improvement the company attributes to a week-long AI-assisted coding effort.

This technology is regarded as a last resort option for Bitcoin. Quantum computers will only need to be used when they are finally developed enough to crack the current cryptographic signatures that protect Bitcoin wallets and transactions. For now, the threat remains theoretical, but industry researchers have been developing contingency plans for years.

Bitcoin relies on elliptic curve cryptography to generate private keys and sign transactions. Cryptographers have long warned that theoretically advanced quantum computers could reverse engineer private keys from public keys. There are currently no such machines of the required size, but this concern has prompted developers to explore other signature schemes that are resistant to quantum names.

One proposed way forward is proved using STARK, a form of zero-knowledge cryptography that does not rely on the same mathematical assumptions that are susceptible to quantum attacks. StarkWare has been a leading developer of STARK technology, originally built to extend Ethereum, and is adapting the approach for potential Bitcoin application scenarios.

Historically, the cost of generating and verifying these certificates has been a barrier to practical adoption. If a transaction is estimated to cost $320, it will be much more expensive than today's typical Bitcoin transfer. According to StarkWare's report on the improvement, reducing that figure to $66 makes the approach seem more feasible.

The company said the gains came from centralized engineering work with the assistance of artificial intelligence coding tools. This points to a broader trend in software development, where AI-assisted programming is believed to accelerate complex cryptographic engineering. This also shows that further cost reductions are possible as the underlying code is optimized.

It is worth noting that this quantum-resistant method is not designed for daily use. It exists as a contingency measure, and the Bitcoin network will turn to it only when quantum decryption becomes a real near-term risk. For now, standard Bitcoin transactions continue to use existing cryptographic signatures and show no signs of an imminent quantum threat.

Market Impact

Since the threat it solves remains hypothetical and long-term, this announcement is unlikely to directly affect the price of Bitcoin. Its significance is that it marks progress in Bitcoin's long-term security roadmap. Cheaper quantum-resistant backup options make any future transition (if needed) more practical for users and infrastructure providers.

对于更广泛的零知识证明领域，这一发展加强了 StarkWare 在以太坊之外作为关键基础设施提供者的定位。它还突出了人工智能辅助开发如何应用于专门的密码工程，这一趋势可能会加速面临同样量子问题的其他区块链上的类似研究。

成本的降低并没有改变比特币近期的安全态势，但如果量子计算真正成为威胁，它将加强可用的选择之一。

常见问题解答

StarkWare 到底改变了什么？

经过一周的人工智能辅助开发工作，StarkWare 将提议的抗量子比特币交易方法的预估成本从 320 美元降低至 66 美元，降幅为 79%。

为什么比特币需要抗量子选项？

比特币目前依赖椭圆曲线密码学，理论上未来的量子计算机可能会破坏它。研究人员正在开发后备方法，以防该风险出现。

这种抗量子方法已经在比特币上使用了吗？

没有。它仍然是一种基于 STARK 证明的提议应急方法，旨在用于潜在的未来用途，而不是今天的日常交易。

这意味着比特币目前容易受到量子攻击吗？

不。能够破解比特币密码学的量子计算机目前尚不存在。这项工作是为做准备，而不是对活跃威胁的回应。

为什么人工智能编码工具能加快这项工作？

StarkWare credits cost improvements from a week of concentrated AI-assisted engineering, which reflects a broader trend of artificial intelligence tools accelerating complex password development.