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BTC 
ETH AI-encoded agents significantly reduce resource thresholds for quantum attacks on Bitcoin cryptography
Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) encoded agents to reduce resource benchmarks for key steps in potential quantum attacks targeted at protecting Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptography by 86%, according to a paper released Wednesday. In other words, they reduce the computing resources required to crack the wallet's private key, which could allow attackers to steal funds. However, uncertainty remains as to when powerful quantum computers capable of full-scale attacks will emerge-a milestone known as "Q-Day".
"Although the exact timing is uncertain, work is already underway to migrate to vulnerable cryptography," the researchers wrote. "The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has standardized post-quantum alternatives, and the initial public draft of NIST IR 8547 proposes to abandon the classic public key algorithm with a security level of 112-bit after 2030 and ban their use after 2035."
Analysis of the results of the ECDSA.Fail competition
These findings originated from the open competition "ECDSA.Fail" launched by Eigen Labs in late May. More than 100 participants worked on optimizing the circuit design of the secp256k1 elliptic curve, which is used to secure transaction signatures on Bitcoin and Ethereum. The authors of the paper include researchers affiliated with Theta Labs, MultiVM Labs, Eigen Labs, Trail of Bits, StarkWare, and the Ethereum Foundation.
Researchers designed and tested a quantum circuit that performs the calculations needed to crack Bitcoin cryptography, reducing its resource score by 86%. The test verified the calculation process of the circuit, but did not actually crack the Bitcoin private key.
The challenge aims to measure the amount of quantum memory and computing effort required by each circuit by multiplying its number of logical quantum bits by the number of Toffoli gates. The Tofolli gate is a high-cost quantum operation invented by Tommaso Toffoli in 1980. A lower score means less comprehensive resources are required for computing, potentially making future attacks easier to implement.
As of July 26, participants reduced the score from 10.75 billion times to 1.496 billion times, a drop of 86%. The leading design uses 1,151 logic qubits and about 1.3 million Toffoli gates. According to research, the score is about half of Google Quantum AI's March benchmark, but due to differences in testing and counting methods, direct comparisons cannot be made.
"In addition to the generated circuits, ECDSA.Fail also provides case studies of 'open and autonomous research': a validator_gate_research process where human participants and AI agents work together to iteratively generate, implement, test and share candidate improvements to address common, measurable goals," the researchers wrote.
Cryptocurrency industry strengthens investment in quantum defense
The report is part of a growing effort by cryptocurrency companies to defend against quantum attacks by investing in research. In July, Galaxy Digital committed up to $5 million to the effort, while nine companies, including BlackRock, Coinbase and Strategy, committed to jointly invest $15 million over the next three years for broader Bitcoin security research, including quantum defenses.
