academics: Attacking bitcoin mining with a quantum computer would require the energy of a star, academics say

One paper finds that attacking the bitcoin blockchain through quantum mining would demand the energy output of a star. Another replicates every major "quantum factoring breakthrough" using a 1981 home computer and a dog. What to know : Quantum computers pose a genuine long-term risk to bitcoin, but current fears often conflate wallet vulnerabilities with largely impractical threats to mining. New research finds that a quantum 51% attack on bitcoin mining would require star-level energy and hardware on a scale that is physically unreachable. The more realistic concern is that future quantum machines could eventually target exposed or older bitcoin wallets, though developers are already pursuing upgrades to harden the network against such attacks.