Google's Willow chip reduces Magic States error rate by approximately 40 times, but is not yet capable of cracking Bitcoin

AT A GLANCE

Google says the Willow chip reduced the preparation error rate of Magic States by approximately 40 times, but cannot yet crack Bitcoin wallets.

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Google quantum chip breakthrough: reduced critical computation error rate draws attention to quantum risks for early Bitcoin wallets

BlockBeats reported that October 17, Google stated that its Willow quantum chip, using a method called “Cultivation,” reduced the error rate in preparing special states required for quantum computing (Magic States) by approximately 40 times. The related research was published in Science this week, potentially reducing the hardware overhead of future large-scale quantum computers and drawing greater attention to the potential threat of cracking Bitcoin wallets.Magic States is a key resource required to perform certain quantum computing operations, and its preparation consumes substantial hardware. Google's experiment achieved state fidelity of approximately 99.99%, but only approximately 8%of attempts passed the screening. Researchers said that the experiment must still be scaled up and issues including real-time operation and error correction must be addressed.

This year,March, Google estimated that, under certain hardware assumptions, future quantum computers might need fewer than 500000 physical qubits to break the wallet cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum. For Bitcoin, the public keys of some early wallets have been exposed since they were mined, theoretically making them targets for future quantum attacks; wallets whose public keys have not yet been exposed may face different attack conditions.

However, this breakthrough does not mean that quantum computers are already capable of cracking Bitcoin. Google's previous attack-cost estimate already assumed an efficient Magic States preparation approach, so this result cannot simply be understood as reducing the cost of cracking Bitcoin by another 40 times. Research remains at the stage of advancing quantum hardware and error-correction technology, and the complete equipment and engineering capabilities required for an actual attack have not yet been realized.

Original link https://m.theblockbeats.info/flash/372324

Key points

Google stated that the Willow quantum chip reduced the preparation error rate of Magic States by approximately 40 times through the “Cultivation” method.
The related research was published in Science this week.
The experiment achieved state fidelity of approximately 99.99%, but only approximately 8%of attempts passed the screening.
The research must still be scaled up and address real-time operation and error-correction issues.
Google March estimated that, under certain hardware assumptions, future quantum computers might need fewer than 500000 physical qubits to break the wallet cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum.
This breakthrough does not mean that quantum computers are already capable of cracking Bitcoin.

AI-assisted interpretation

The following is analysis, separate from reported facts. Verify important claims independently.

Magic States is a resource required for certain quantum computing operations. Google reported a lower preparation error rate this time, but the experiment's pass rate was low and large-scale, real-time operation and error correction have not yet been completed. Therefore, the long-term quantum risk to early Bitcoin wallets has drawn attention, but this is not an attack that is currently occurring.

Why it matters to readers

If the related experiment can be scaled up and achieve real-time operation in the future, the long-term risk posed by quantum computing to some wallets with exposed public keys may receive greater attention; the equipment and engineering capabilities required for an actual attack have not yet been realized.

This is not news that Bitcoin has already been cracked, but rather progress in quantum computing research and a warning about its long-term cryptographic risks.

Risks and unknowns

The report is from BlockBeats; the provided material does not include a link to the Science paper or Google's original announcement.
Whether the experiment can be scaled up, operate in real time, and achieve the required error correction remains uncertain.
The complete equipment and engineering capabilities required for an actual attack have not yet been realized.
Early wallets and wallets whose public keys have not yet been exposed face different specific attack conditions.

Google's Willow chip reduces Magic States error rate by approximately 40 times, but is not yet capable of cracking Bitcoin

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