IBM Quantum Hardware Cracks 15-Bit ECC Key, but Bitcoin Devs Say Random Bits Match the Result

Post-quantum startup Project Eleven awarded its 1 BTC Q-Day Prize to independent researcher Giancarlo Lelli on April 24, 2026, for breaking a 15-bit elliptic curve cryptography key on a publicly accessible IBM quantum computer, a result the company called the largest public demonstration of its kind to date. Key Takeaways: Project Eleven awarded researcher Giancarlo […]