Bitcoin Advances Toward Quantum Resistance with BIP 360 and New P2MR Output

Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 360, which aims to prepare Bitcoin for potential quantum computing risks, has been updated and merged into the official BIP repository. This proposal introduces a new output type called Pay-to-Merkle-Root (P2MR), designed to support quantum-resistant script tree functionality while remaining compatible with existing Tapscript infrastructure. Supporters view this as an initial step toward quantum-hardening the protocol. The threat from quantum computers lies in their potential ability to derive private keys from exposed public keys, with Taproot and P2PK addresses being more vulnerable. P2MR addresses this by disabling the key-path spending method found in Taproot, committing only to the script path. Co-author Hunter Beast stated that BIP 360 serves as a foundation for future upgrades introducing post-quantum signature schemes like ML-DSA (Dilithium) and SLH-DSA (SPHINCS+). The update also added Isabel Foxen Duke as a co-author to ensure the proposal is clearly understandable to the general public, aligning Bitcoin with broader governmental and technological shifts toward quantum-safe cryptography standards.

(Source：Bitcoin Magazine)