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The quantum computing threat to Bitcoin may be more urgent than some think, according to Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.
“I feel like 50/50, within five years, there is a quantum breakthrough,” Yakovenko said at the All-In Summit 2025 earlier this month. “We should migrate Bitcoin to a quantum-resistant signature scheme.”
The debate over quantum computing’s potential threat to Bitcoin has intensified recently, spurred by advances such as Google’s Willow. The fear is that quantum computers will soon be able to run Shor’s algorithm, which is widely believed to have the potential to break encryption systems, such as elliptic curve cryptography. Elliptic curve cryptography secures Bitcoin wallets.
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While some argue that the threat to Bitcoin’s cryptography remains distant, Yakovenko cautions that the rate of AI advancement suggests otherwise.
“I would try to encourage folks to speed things up,” he said, stressing that ideas were moving from research paper to implementation at an “astounding” rate. He also pointed to Google and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) moving to quantum-resistant stacks as a sign of the times.
But it will likely not be as easy for Bitcoin to upgrade as it is for Google and Apple. Bitcoin does not have the centralized management of Google and Apple. The network also lacks an established governance structure and a recognized development team that can push upgrades like most other blockchains.
The network’s less structured governance means that determining consensus on upgrades is challenging. While this ensures that the network is more reliable and adds to its decentralization lore, it can arguably be a handicap in urgent situations.
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While Yakovenko warned of the risks posed by quantum computing to Bitcoin, he still hailed the network for its resilience against current threats.
“I think Bitcoin is resilient to these entities collapsing,” he said in response to questions raised about how a collapse of Bitcoin treasury firms such as MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) could affect the asset. These firms have accumulated substantial amounts of BTC using several leverage strategies, sparking sustainability fears and questions about the potential market impact if they collapse.