BTQ Study Reveals Quantum Mining's Limitations and Urgency for Post-Quantum Cryptography

A recent research paper published by BTQ Technologies has shed light on the limitations of using quantum computers for Bitcoin mining. The study, titled 'Kardashev Scale Quantum Computing for Bitcoin Mining', estimates the physical and economic costs of implementing quantum mining at scale.

The researchers found that even under favorable assumptions, a superconducting surface-code fleet would require approximately 10^8 physical qubits and 10^4 megawatts of power to mine Bitcoin. At real Bitcoin difficulty, these requirements become astronomical, approaching the energy output of a star.