[No Soft Fork Required: StarkWare Verifies Quantum-Safe Locking Mechanism on Bitcoin Mainnet but Not Yet Suitable for Large-Scale Use] Odaily Planet Daily News: Starknet published an article introducing the Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) solution, stating that StarkWare researchers have verified a quantum-safe locking mechanism on the Bitcoin mainnet that does not require a soft fork, new opcodes, or modifications to consensus rules. The first QSB output was spent on August 26, 2026, in Bitcoin mainnet block 964,199, with the associated GPU computation cost reduced from approximately $320 to about $50. QSB constructs the locking mechanism through hash computation, but each transaction still requires significant computation. When assets are transferred into this solution, traditional transactions with quantum risks are still required. This transaction does not comply with Bitcoin Core's default relay rules, and there are currently no supporting wallets, address formats, or recovery processes. StarkWare stated that QSB is an emergency research solution, and a long-term solution will still require the introduction of post-quantum signature mechanisms through a soft fork. The comprehensive quantum resistance of Starknet also depends on the progress of Ethereum's underlying upgrades.