Strategy Repeats That Bitcoin Could Adopt Quantum Upgrades If Needed

Strategy said Bitcoin (BTC) could adopt quantum-resistant upgrades if needed, but its Nov. 13 post offered no technical proposal or timetable for a change to the network.

“Quantum-resistant upgrades can be adopted if and when they’re needed,” Strategy wrote. The company had previously said that an upgrade, if required, would need global consensus and would leave Bitcoin stronger.

The security question is whether future quantum hardware could use an exposed wallet public key to recover its private key. One proposal addressing part of that risk is BIP-360, which remains in draft status.

BIP-360 proposes a soft fork and a new Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR) transaction output that removes Taproot’s key-path spend. The proposal addresses long-exposure attacks. Addressing attacks on public keys exposed while transactions are pending may require post-quantum signatures. Strategy’s post did not name BIP-360 or endorse a particular design.

Strategy and eight other founding members announced the Bitcoin Security Consortium on July 23. Members pledged an aggregate $15 million over three years and direct their funding independently. The consortium does not direct Bitcoin protocol work or take positions on specific changes.

At an Oct. 13 event, Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor called a quantum upgrade “probably a 90-day upgrade.” That was Saylor’s estimate, not a schedule adopted by the network; the post announced no upgrade decision or migration timeline.

The statement leaves the Bitcoin quantum-upgrade path unsettled, with BIP-360 still a draft and no timetable announced.