A recently published article by researchers at BTQ, a startup focused on developing blockchain technology resilient to quantum computer attacks, has introduced an alternative to the Proof of Work (PoW) algorithm using quantum technology. Proof of Work serves as a blockchain consensus mechanism that safeguards the Bitcoin network, where participants solve complex mathematical problems to validate transactions. Critics argue that this approach is overly energy-intensive, while some defend it as effective. Quantum computing departs from a binary system, which relies on ones and zeros that regulate transistor gates.

Instead, quantum bits (qubits) can exist in multiple states at once, significantly boosting computational power and jeopardizing current encryption methods established by classical computers that depend on binary code and transistors. In their paper, BTQ researchers suggest a quantum-based alternative known as Coarse-Grained Boson Sampling (CGBS). This technique utilizes light particles (bosons) to create distinctive patterns—samples—that represent the blockchain’s current state, in place of traditional hash-based mathematical problems. The random sampling of these patterns would lead to encryption, analogous to how random numbers underpin encryption in classical computing. Boson sampling was initially developed to showcase quantum supremacy, a benchmark determining when a mathematical problem becomes too complex for classical computers to solve. These samples are categorized into groups called bins, facilitating result validation and confirming miners’ efforts. BTQ’s strategy substitutes the conventional cryptographic puzzles of PoW with quantum sampling tasks, dramatically lowering energy consumption while maintaining network security and decentralization. Though BTQ's proposal is theoretically intriguing, its implementation would necessitate a hard fork of the Bitcoin network, requiring miners and nodes to swap their existing ASIC-based hardware (designed specifically for PoW) for quantum-compatible systems. Such a transition would undoubtedly be a monumental task and could potentially lead to a fork reminiscent of the Blocksize Wars of previous years.