Google announced that its new quantum computer can do things that a normal computer can’t do. And some are worried that it could mean that Google might break Bitcoin – more specifically, the encryption used to keep Bitcoin safe and secure.
Essentially, Google’s “quantum supremacy” is going to be able to solve calculations that were impossible with traditional computers. This was posted to a NASA website, before being taken down, and the Financial Times was able to catch it.
With quantum supremacy, it will be able to perform in 200 seconds what would take a powerful computer about 10,000 years to do. That means that it could potentially break Bitcoin. As well as the encryption that keeps Bitcoin safe.
Bitcoin as well as other coins and encryption all rely on complex mathematical problems and these fundamentals are what provide the basis of the internet and digital communication trust. So if you have a powerful enough computer, like the quantum supremacy, it could solve those equations pretty quickly.
This means that it could crack Bitcoin, but also the encryption that is used across the web. You know how WhatsApp (and other messaging apps) have end-to-end encryption? That would be broken too, with this quantum computer that Google has built.
With Bitcoin exploding in recent years, there are a lot more investors investing in Bitcoin and other crypto coins. And with the news of these powerful quantum computers, many are starting to worry that their crypto wealth could be under attack from these very quantum computers.
Being worried isn’t a bad thing. After all, Bitcoin is not a physical coin. It’s a digital coin, so you’ll never actually see a physical Bitcoin. Unlike with the US Dollar, where you probably have a $20 bill in your wallet right now. You’ll never have a Bitcoin in your pocket. So breaking the encryption on crypto is a really big deal. And you really can’t blame Bitcoin investors for being worried about this news.
Though, it’s important to note that Google did not build this quantum computer specifically to break Bitcoin. But it’s to push the technology further and further. This is nothing new, companies do this all the time. And Google is not the only company that has a quantum computer or is working on them. IBM and Intel also have quantum computers. But only Google has reached quantum supremacy.