Quantum Computers May Have a Limit, But Can They Break Bitcoin?
Oxford physicist Tim Palmer has proposed a theory that quantum computers may have a limit to their size, potentially making them unable to break Bitcoin's signatures. According to Palmer, entanglement eventually hits a wall at around 200-400 qubits on current hardware, and it will never pass 1,000. This challenges the conventional understanding of quantum mechanics, which does not set such limits.
Palmer's research was cited by investor Fred Krueger as evidence that Bitcoin may already be quantum-safe. However, this interpretation has been disputed, as Musk did not specifically mention Bitcoin in his response to Palmer's work. In fact, Musk agreed with Palmer's idea that the universe comes in fixed chunks but said nothing about private keys or Bitcoin's quantum problem.
The current estimates suggest that cracking Bitcoin's signatures takes an estimated 835 logical qubits, a number that has been reduced from earlier figures of 1,098 and 1,175. However, the hardware is nowhere near reaching this target, with IBM planning to build a machine with 200 logical qubits by 2029.