Solana Founder Warns of Quantum Threat to Bitcoin

Solana's Yakovenko urges swift action against quantum threats to Bitcoin.

The community must hasten the implementation of measures to protect the leading cryptocurrency from quantum threats, as advancements in computing may surpass expectations, stated Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.

During the All-In Summit 2025 podcast, he noted that he feels there is a 50% chance of a significant breakthrough in this field within five years.

“We need to transition Bitcoin to a quantum-resistant signature system. That’s my bet, because right now there’s a convergence of many technologies. The asymptotic pace of AI and how quickly it accelerates from research paper to implementation is simply astounding,” Yakovenko noted.

In his view, the main signal for migrating the architecture of digital gold will be the adoption of quantum-resistant cryptography by tech giants.

“So keep an eye on where Google is heading,” he said.

While warning of long-term threats, Yakovenko emphasized the resilience of the leading cryptocurrency to existing risks.

He expressed confidence that the potential collapse of companies with Bitcoin treasuries like Strategy would cause market upheaval but would not destroy the asset itself due to its decentralized structure.

“I believe as long as there is open global competition to acquire Bitcoin, […] and as long as we don’t end up in some regulatory nightmare, you know, like in the 70s when you couldn’t buy gold, I think it will survive such upheavals,” Yakovenko stated.

The Solana co-founder also praised the Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm as a reliable defense of digital gold against coordinated attacks and large-scale hacks.

“The beauty is that it’s the simplest protocol you can build because it’s solely focused on settlements. It’s very easy to understand from an engineering perspective, and PoW is a masterpiece in terms of elegance and simplicity,” he added.

Prospects of the Quantum Threat

In December 2024, Google Quantum AI specialists introduced the Willow chip, which the crypto community noted as a potential quantum threat to Bitcoin.

Experts are divided. Some pointed out that from a mathematical standpoint, the risk of breaching the leading cryptocurrency seems extremely remote. Capriole Fund founder Charles Edwards responded to optimists that their forecasts do not account for the exponential trajectory of technological development, citing AI as an example.

A similar opinion was expressed by University of Calgary scientist Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers. He estimates that it will be about five years before commercial quantum computers can breach Bitcoin wallet security.

Regardless of the probable timelines, the community has begun discussing the implications for assets stored at vulnerable addresses. This includes lost coins, such as ~1 million BTC likely belonging to Satoshi Nakamoto. In the future, all these bitcoins will be hacked and returned to circulation, believes Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

Casa co-founder Jameson Lopp opposed the recovery of lost coins through quantum computing and proposed they be preemptively burned.

Meanwhile, according to Chaincode Labs specialists, potentially at risk of hacking in the future are 20% to 50% of all bitcoins in circulation (4-10 million BTC).

Developers are considering several approaches to protect the leading cryptocurrency from the quantum threat.

Earlier, Mysten Labs analysts concluded that the Solana blockchain is more resilient to such risks than Bitcoin and Ethereum.