Google said it had achieved a verifiable “quantum advantage” with its Willow chip, completing a calculation that would take classical supercomputers thousands of times longer.
The reported breakthrough could reignite a debate in the cryptocurrency community about the possible harmful effects that quantum computers could have on Bitcoin, whose operation and security are built on cryptographic methods that quantum computing could potentially challenge.
The chip reportedly simulated quantum chaos in just two hours by measuring Out-of-Time-Order Correlators (OTOCs), a key benchmark for tracking the unpredictable behavior of particles.
Researchers say the achievement moves quantum computers closer to practical applications, such as Hamiltonian learning, where quantum machines could help model complex molecular structures beyond the reach of today’s tools.
For the crypto world, the breakthrough is notable but not alarming. While quantum computing may one day challenge Bitcoin’s cryptographic foundations, most experts say that reality is still a long way off.
“There is no evidence today that any computer, even a classified one, can break modern cryptography,” Kostas Kryptos Chalkias, co-founder and chief cryptographer of Mysten Labs, told CoinDesk in a recent interview. “We’re at least 10 years away from that.”
Google parent Alphabet’s ( GOOG ) shares had a 1.5% bump following the release of their research before retreating to previous levels. At the time of writing, GOOG is just above $253, up 0.7% on the day.
Bitcoin saw a minor boost alongside GOOG’s, rising 0.7% to just below $109,000 falling back. BTC is 4% lower in the last 24 hours at around $108,150 at the time of writing, according to CoinDesk data.
