Bitcoin’s quantum dilemma: Bigger blocks or STARK proofs?

Dealing with large post quantum signatures slowing down Bitcoin can be solved with bigger blocks, or aggregating signatures using STARK proofs.

ZK STARKs are the best way to deal with the issues created with making Bitcoin quantum-safe — and to reach mass adoption at the same time — says StarkWare co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson.

What’s more, he claims Blockstream founder Adam Back agrees.

Ben-Sasson has been in the news this week for his controversial suggestion on X to increase Bitcoin inflation to 4% annually. Grok’s analysis of the replies found “zero clear support for the proposal.”

But as the co-inventor of STARKs — quantum-secure, hash-based zero-knowledge proofs — he’s on much firmer ground, with some leading Bitcoin researchers supporting the concept.

Ben-Sasson’s own project Starknet last week announced its own three phase project to become quantum secure.

Adding zero-knowledge proofs to Bitcoin does not make the blockchain quantum secure by itself. ZK proofs are a way to deal with the problems caused by adding much larger post-quantum (PQ) signature schemes to Bitcoin. 

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