This month’s Builder Spotlight features Anthony Derbridge of Proofnet BTC, a Utah-based project focused on post-quantum infrastructure, decentralized AI systems, and long-term blockchain security. We spoke with its founders, Anthony and Drew Derbidge, about what they’re building, why they believe post-quantum systems matter, and how they see blockchain evolving beyond its current limitations.
Q: To start, can you tell us about your project and what you’re working on?
A: Yeah, absolutely. We have a really exciting project. We built a post-quantum operating system.
When I say operating system, it’s a little different than what we’re used to. It’s not like macOS or Windows or Linux. What it is, is a set of programs and libraries that, when post-quantum architecture comes out, it attaches to that system directly and operates.
So this is as much as you can build without having the actual hardware for it yet. The post-quantum part gives us a durable, immutable history of everything, with privacy inherently built into it.
Q: Who is this built for? More institutions or consumers?
A: It’s more institutional right now. It’s really a revisit of how systems work today.
For example, most identity systems today rely on certificates. You go into a website, you get a certification of trust, and you’re supposed to trust that system. But it’s messy, it’s hackable, and if that system is breached, then the user is exposed.
Right now, everyone is exposed. That’s the problem.
Q: How does your system approach that differently?
A: When you use blockchain technology, you generate a key—a public and private key. You keep your private key, and you share your public key.
In systems like Bitcoin or Ethereum, you’re transferring value. But those systems use classical cryptography.
In our system, we take that much further. We use post-quantum cryptography—so instead of SHA-256, you have stronger hashing, and everything is based on post-quantum libraries that NIST is standardizing.
So what you get is a system that’s designed to last 100 years. It’s very, very secure.
Q: You mentioned Bitcoin—how does that fit into your system?
A: We actually use Bitcoin as the base state of our system because it’s the most trustworthy blockchain that exists. It’s never been breached in its infrastructure.
Other systems have had issues—not because the keys were broken, but because the data they’re transferring is programmable. If you can manipulate that data, you can create a breach.
In our system, we run an immutable post-quantum blockchain that doesn’t just know the state—it contains the memory and history.
And instead of just raw data, our blocks are actually a database. That means you can query them really fast, and everything is still immutable.
Q: That’s where “memory blocks” come in?
A: Exactly. That’s the fun part.
Right now, with AI systems like ChatGPT or Claude, you’re relying on centralized servers. You’re trusting them to store your data. And they’re collecting that data.
In our system, we flip that model.
We create what we call memory blocks. They store the knowledge of the system in a secure, post-quantum environment. Then you run AI locally—on your own machine—and it just retrieves information from those blocks.
So the blocks are the memory, and your local AI is like the processor. It’s like separating RAM from a hard drive.
That means you can have a full AI system that you own, trained with your data, without sending your data to a centralized server.
Q: How does participation in the network work?
A: It’s peer-to-peer. Anyone can participate depending on what their computer can handle.
In systems like Bitcoin, miners compete to win blocks. In proof-of-stake systems, you have to own tokens to participate.
In our system, it’s distributed. If you contribute to a block—even a small part—you get rewarded based on your level of participation.
So if you contributed 3% of the block, you get a portion of the fees. Everybody shares in it.
Q: What about user data—does everything go on the blockchain?
A: No, and that’s really important.
If you’re just using the system locally—querying data, building things—that doesn’t go on the blockchain. That’s your private data.
Only if you want something to be verifiable and immutable—like “I did this on this date”—do you send it to the blockchain and pay a small fee.
So users have full control over what gets recorded.
Q: What initially brought you into blockchain?
A: I got into it around 2017. I was doing construction at the time and also substitute teaching.
I met someone who had been mining Dogecoin since 2013 and had gotten into Ethereum early. He told me, “You should look into this.”
So I got in when Bitcoin was around $3,000.
But for me, it was always about the technology. I’ve always believed you take what works, keep what’s secure, and then innovate on top of it.
When I learned about post-quantum technology, I realized this is going to be a problem eventually. Not today, but we need to be prepared.
Q: Why build this in Utah?
A: Honestly, it’s just where I live. I would have built it anywhere.
But Utah has been a great place to build, especially with the interest in blockchain policy and identity systems.
Q: What’s the bigger vision here?
A: We didn’t just build a system—we built what we believe is the foundation for a post-quantum internet.
What’s really exciting is that existing systems can migrate into what we’ve built. You don’t have to throw everything away.
We’re essentially creating the next evolution—what some people are calling Web4.
Q: Where can people learn more?
A: You can go to our website here. If you sign up, you’ll get a promo code for a free book that explains the system in a way that’s easy to understand.