Google's Quantum AI team reported a breakthrough on its Willow quantum computer that makes a hard step in building error-corrected quantum machines easier. The news revives concerns about the cryptography behind Bitcoin and Ethereum, though the method has not yet been shown at practical scale.
Google announced a quantum computing breakthrough that has renewed fears over the long-term security of crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. CEO Sundar Pichai said the Quantum AI team made progress in "magic state cultivation" on the Willow quantum computer.
Errors cut by a factor of 40
The findings, published in the journal Science, reduced errors by a factor of 40 compared with preparing quantum states without the new method. The team also reached a record logical fidelity of 99.99% for specialized quantum states called T-states.
Google described the result as a major step toward high-power, error-corrected quantum computers that can do things today's computers cannot. According to the report, it also addresses one of the major problems in the field: the large amount of resources needed to create reliable quantum states.
Why crypto holders are watching
Many major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, use elliptic curve cryptography to secure transactions and verify digital signatures. A powerful enough quantum computer could theoretically break those measures.
However, the breakthrough does not mean current cryptocurrencies are in trouble now. Google has not yet demonstrated the method at the scale real-world, large-scale quantum computing would require.
Still, the development makes one of the toughest steps toward a quantum computer capable of breaking crypto much easier to complete.
Source: U.Today
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