SUI Co-Founder Warns Bitcoin and Ethereum Not Ready for Quantum Threat

Kostas Chalkias, co-founder and chief cryptographer at Mysten Labs, says Bitcoin will be the first blockchain attacked when quantum computers become powerful enough to break current cryptographic systems.

In a recent interview on the When Shift Happens podcast, Chalkias pointed to Satoshi Nakamoto’s addresses, which have exposed public keys, making them easy targets.

“All of the chains in my opinion should start the migration now until 2030,” he said.

Quantum Threat: When Could It Hit?

Ten years ago, cryptographers predicted the quantum “doom day” would arrive around 2030-2035. Chalkias now believes the threat won’t show up in the next five years. But he added that AI could speed up quantum computing breakthroughs in ways no one can predict.

Government agencies like NIST have already started requiring quantum-safe algorithm support. The pressure is building for blockchain networks to catch up.

Also Read: Ethereum Foundation Forms Post-Quantum Team, Declares Security Top Priority

SUI Says It Has the Edge Over Ethereum and Solana

Chalkias explained that SUI uses the EDDSA algorithm. He claims it is better suited for quantum safety than ECDSA, which powers Bitcoin and Ethereum.

His team also invented an algorithm that lets existing SUI addresses become quantum-safe through a single-click upgrade using post-quantum zero knowledge proofs. He made clear that this solution does not work for Ethereum or Bitcoin.

Right now, no quantum-safe blockchain sits in the top 40 by market cap. The Ethereum Foundation is funding research into the problem, and Solana’s community is exploring new quantum-safe address types.

Big Names Already Picking SUI

Google chose SUI to test agentic AI payments. The Greek stock market also selected SUI over other blockchains for its flexibility across different use cases.

Chalkias previously worked on Facebook’s Libra project and WhatsApp’s encrypted payments. He has over 15 years of experience in cryptographic research.