Google researchers warned that future quantum computers may be able to break some of the cryptography protecting Bitcoin and other digital assets with fewer resources than previously thought, adding urgency to the debate over how the industry should prepare. The researchers did not indicate such a machine exists today, but said new work suggests the computing power needed to carry out that kind of attack may be lower than many earlier estimates had suggested.
What this research does is tighten the window in which the industry needs to progress research and agree on a plan of action. The good news is that the problem remains addressable.
