Muneeb Ali, co-founder of Stacks, suggests that concerns regarding quantum computing threats are currently limiting institutional investment in Bitcoin. He argues that investors may be delaying capital allocation due to uncertainty about the long-term security of the network.
Ali emphasizes the need for a clear roadmap toward quantum-resistant cryptography. He warns that without significant progress by 2028, risks could escalate, given the time required to update decentralized protocols and migrate user assets to secure addresses.
The NIST has set 2030 and 2031 as target dates for migrating critical US federal systems to post-quantum standards, with a final completion goal of 2035. Ali notes that AI development could potentially accelerate the timeline for powerful quantum computers to 2029.
Technical efforts to address these risks include the BIP-360 proposal, which introduces Pay-to-Merkle-Root transactions to mitigate exposure. However, this does not provide full post-quantum signature protection.
In September, StarkWare reported a 79% reduction in GPU computational costs for experimental quantum-resistant Bitcoin transactions, lowering the price from $320 to $67. The first such transaction was confirmed on the mainnet on August 26.
