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So, I just heard about this competition from Project 11 where you can snag 1 BTC if you can break Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography using a quantum computer. Sounds wild, right?
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Kinda sketchy though... says they could award 1 BTC but it also says ‘may’ in the rules. That's not exactly reassuring.
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Exactly! Who really has access to these quantum machines? The costs are insane. I doubt anyone's gonna spend that much just for 1 BTC.
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Totally! Owning a quantum computer isn’t cheap. Renting it costs upwards of $10M, and $1500 to $20000 per hour? Who's gonna do that for a measly prize?
Mr Posts: 401 · Reputation: 35
Right, and I find it ironic. They want people to break Bitcoin’s security but then reward them with Bitcoin that could crash in value if they succeed?
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Yeah, the SEC put a timestamp on secp256k1's relevance, says it 'expires' in 2040. That's not far away. Wonder how quickly things might change.
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Even if someone cracks it soon, it’d take ages to successfully do that. Plenty of time for Bitcoin to upgrade and protect itself.
N Posts: 252 · Reputation: 12
And they’ll demand proof of your method and that it can be replicated. No half-baked solutions wanted. Makes sense, right?
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I just think not many can really crack this, but those who can, like big institutions, will have to risk it. They could pay for it.
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#10 Apr 13, 2026, 08:40 AM They probably don’t expect anyone to actually succeed. The goal is more about testing how far current tech can push, like breaking a 5-bit key.
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#11 Apr 13, 2026, 02:37 PM LOL, and it’s only been a month since Fillippone mentioned it. Interest is growing fast. Lots of peeps are jumping into quantum computing.
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#12 Apr 14, 2026, 11:40 PM Pretty funny how it’s just a bait for lost wallets. They’re asking people to dive in and play while they profit from it.
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#13 Apr 15, 2026, 04:25 AM I get it, but wouldn’t it be smart to try breaking smaller keys first? Understand how these elliptic curves were made before tackling the big ones?
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#14 Apr 15, 2026, 09:25 AM You meant most of the world hasn’t dealt with quantum tech, right? Yeah, it’s open to anyone, teams or individuals can join.
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#15 Apr 15, 2026, 11:12 AM But I doubt your regular PC could do anything significant. The real investment is in the quantum space.
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#16 Apr 15, 2026, 03:12 PM Honestly, if I had quantum capabilities, the reward wouldn’t be just 1 BTC. Too low for the prize if you ask me.
P Posts: 1284 · Reputation: 2049
#17 Apr 16, 2026, 10:29 AM They’re really more interested in seeing what tech can actually break. They don’t think anyone will crack a 256-bit key yet.
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#18 Apr 18, 2026, 02:29 AM There are other crypto puzzles out there too, monitoring how close we are to having a powerful enough machine.
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#19 Apr 18, 2026, 05:44 AM I think breaking Bitcoin is low on the priority list for a lot of investment. Real businesses want big bucks, like medical advances.
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#20 Apr 18, 2026, 08:44 AM You think it’ll be as dramatic as a crypto movie? LOL, imagine a guy named Phil who is just super lucky and cracks BTC.