Yesterday, the world was abuzz with news that Google has unveiled a new quantum chip called Willow, which is capable of solving problems that take billions of years for classical supercomputers in just five minutes. This is a huge step forward for quantum computing but raises questions about the security of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin ($BTC).
Why is this important for the major cryptocurrency? Cryptocurrency uses cryptography to secure transactions. Quantum computers, in theory, can crack public keys and compute private ones. The digital signature algorithms that guarantee the integrity of the blockchain could also be vulnerable to quantum attacks.
I have always maintained that two things could put it into bitcoin. The first is a coordinated central bank attack, not at bitcoin architecture, but in interfering in every way possible with people who own bitcoin. The second which is an existential threat is quantum computing. https://t.co/3DgPRvlMkk
— Peter Brandt (@PeterLBrandt) December 10, 2024
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