Quantum Computing's Energy Demand to Out-Mine Bitcoin: A Significant Challenge

Researchers have highlighted the immense energy requirements for a quantum computer to surpass Bitcoin mining capabilities. According to NS3.AI, such a computer would need approximately 10^25 watts and around 10^23 qubits, equating to about 3% of the Sun's energy output. Meanwhile, separate academic studies have suggested that many reported breakthroughs in quantum factoring are based on simplified setups. These studies emphasize that older or reused Bitcoin addresses pose a more credible long-term risk.