The Bitcoin puzzle, and where each key stands
In 2015 an anonymous creator funded 256 Bitcoin addresses whose private keys lie in ranges of known size, from 1 bit up to 256 bits, as “a crude measuring instrument of the cracking strength of the community”. Qvanta® researches finding these keys with GPU high-performance computing, AI agents and quantum algorithms. Every puzzle’s status is shown clearly: solved or open.
Puzzles #1–160
Puzzle n hides a private key between 2n−1 and 2n. Each extra bit doubles the search, so difficulty climbs steeply with the number.
Every puzzle
All 256 puzzle addresses as tiles, coloured by status. Filter by status or search by number, address or solver.
Open targets
Each unsolved puzzle with its key range, prize and whether its public key is exposed. The easiest are #71 (7.1 BTC) and #140 (14 BTC, public key exposed).
How we read the status
The private key has been found and the prize claimed.
Unsolved, but the creator revealed the public key on-chain in 2019. That allows Pollard’s kangaroo, which needs about the square root of the work of a plain search.
Unsolved, and only the address is known. The whole key range has to be searched.
Puzzles #161–256. The creator moved their funds to the lower puzzles in 2017, so there is nothing left to find.
How we work
Each target goes through the same loop, and it keeps running until the key is found.
- 1
Hypothesize
Choose a target and an attack: a full range search, or the kangaroo method where the public key is exposed.
- 2
Analyze and build
AI agents study solved keys and published solvers, then write and tune GPU search kernels.
- 3
Search and verify
Solvers run on GPU HPC. Any candidate key is checked by deriving its address, which proves it exactly.
- 4
Repeat
Throughput data and coverage feed the next round, and the loop runs again.
Solvers on GPU HPC
We run range-search and Pollard’s kangaroo solvers on GPU high-performance computing clusters, tracking which parts of each range have been covered so no work is repeated.
Many agents, many angles
A variety of AI agents and subagents work in parallel: optimizing elliptic-curve kernels, scheduling work across GPUs, and analyzing the positions of solved keys within their ranges.
Measuring the quantum threat
Shor’s algorithm would break the elliptic-curve keys that protect Bitcoin, and Grover’s algorithm would halve the effective size of a key range. We use the puzzle’s graded key sizes to estimate the quantum resources each size would need, which informs post-quantum security for digital assets.
Only the public challenge
The creator funded these addresses specifically to be found. Our search targets only the puzzle addresses listed here, never anyone else’s wallet.
Work with us
Qvanta® partners with researchers and institutions on cryptographic strength, GPU computation and post-quantum security.
Contact Qvanta®