Google Quantum AI says 256-bit elliptic curve cryptography could be broken with fewer than 500,000 physical qubits in a matter of minutes.
The new estimate cuts prior resource assumptions by roughly 20 times and sharpens pressure on the crypto sector to move toward post-quantum cryptography.
Google Quantum AI has put the crypto industry on notice again, this time with a more pointed number attached to the warning.
In a new whitepaper and accompanying research note published Tuesday, Google said cracking the 256-bit elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem, the math behind widely used wallet security, may require far fewer quantum resources than previously assumed.
The company estimates that such an attack could be executed in a few minutes using fewer than 500,000 physical qubits, assuming hardware consistent with some of its own superconducting quantum systems.
A smaller qubit threshold and less room for delay
That matters because elliptic curve cryptography is deeply embedded in
