Google的量子突破引發了對比特幣和加密安全的新問題

Google Quantum Research團隊的一份新發表的科學論文正在發出有關比特幣和互聯網安全未來的新聞報警

A newly published scientific paper by Google’s quantum research team is raising fresh alarms about the future of Bitcoin and internet security, signaling that quantum computers may be much closer than previously thought to breaking current encryption systems.

Google的量子研究團隊的一份新發表的科學論文正在向比特幣和互聯網安全的未來發出新的警報，表明量子計算機可能比以前認為打破當前的加密系統要近得多。

The paper, written by Google researcher Craig Gidney and detailing the company’s latest progress in quantum computing, claims that RSA-2048 encryption—used widely in everything from online banking to cryptocurrency wallets—could be broken using quantum computers with just 1 million qubits. This is a significant decrease from the 20 million qubits previously estimated in 2019.

該論文由Google研究員Craig Gidney撰寫，並詳細介紹了該公司在量子計算方面的最新進展，聲稱RSA-2048加密（從在線銀行業務到加密貨幣錢包）中的所有內容都廣泛地使用，可以使用僅100萬Qubits的量子計算機破壞。這與先前估計的2019年估計的2000萬量位相比大幅下降。

This 20x reduction in required resources, signaled by a new algorithm for modular exponentiation, suggests that quantum threats could emerge years earlier than earlier projections.

通過新的模塊化算法表示，所需資源的20倍減少表明，量子威脅可能比早期預測早年出現。

“This represents a 20-fold reduction in the number of qubits compared to our previous estimate in 2019, and a three-fold reduction from a 2022 estimate by a team at ETH Zurich,” stated Gidney in his blog post summarizing the findings.

Gidney在他的博客文章中說：“與我們先前的2019年估算值相比，量子位的數量減少了20倍，並且比蘇黎世Eth Eth Zurich的2022年估算值減少了三倍。”

Quantum Leap in Efficiency

效率的量子飛躍

This breakthrough is made possible by improvements in both quantum algorithms and error correction. One of the most significant advancements is the doubling in speed of the complex operation known as modular exponential computation, which forms the basis of RSA security. Additionally, a new method called “magic state cultivation” was able to increase task accuracy and reduce quantum resource requirements further.

通過改進量子算法和誤差校正，使這一突破成為可能。最重要的進步之一是複雜操作的速度加倍，稱為模塊化指數計算，這構成了RSA安全性的基礎。此外，一種稱為“魔術狀態培養”的新方法能夠提高任務準確性並進一步降低量子資源需求。

Moreover, the researchers were able to boost logical qubit density, meaning more usable quantum bits can operate in the same physical space, drastically improving processing capabilities. This density varied between 16 and 64 logical qubits per physical qubit, depending on the specific task and preferred error rate.

此外，研究人員能夠提高邏輯量子密度，這意味著更可用的量子位可以在相同的物理空間中運行，從而大大提高了處理能力。該密度在每個物理值的16到64個邏輯量子位之間變化，具體取決於特定任務和首選錯誤率。

The researchers chose to focus on RSA-2048, a commonly used variant of the RSA algorithm with a 2,048-bit modulus. Their analysis indicates that breaking this level of RSA encryption would require approximately 1 million qubits and 10,000 logical T gates for performing modular exponentiation.

研究人員選擇專注於RSA-2048，這是具有2,048位模量的RSA算法的常用變體。他們的分析表明，打破這種RSA加密水平將需要大約100萬QUAT和10,000個邏輯T門才能執行模塊化啟動。

What It Means for Bitcoin

這對比特幣意味著什麼

While BTC uses elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) instead of RSA, both systems rely on complex mathematical problems that quantum computers are specifically designed to solve. Although Bitcoin’s 256-bit ECC encryption remains largely secure at present, the rapid acceleration of quantum computing tech raises questions about its long-term resilience.

儘管BTC使用橢圓曲線密碼學（ECC）而不是RSA，但兩個系統都依賴於量子計算機專門設計的複雜數學問題。儘管目前比特幣的256位ECC加密仍然在很大程度上是安全的，但量子計算技術的快速加速提出了有關其長期彈性的問題。

Currently, the most powerful quantum machines, like IBM’s 1,121-qubit Condor and Google’s 53-qubit Sycamore, are still some way off the 1 million mark. But if the development trend continues, experts warn that ECC—including Bitcoin’s core security—could be vulnerable within the next decade.

目前，最強大的量子機，例如IBM的1,121 Qubit Condor和Google的53 Qubit Sycamore，仍然是100萬大關的一部分。但是，如果發展趨勢繼續下去，專家警告說，包括比特幣的核心安全性ECC可能會在未來十年內易受傷害。

This finding is significant as it highlights the urgency of preparing for a post-quantum world. Bitcoin developers and cybersecurity experts may soon face one of their biggest challenges yet.

這一發現很重要，因為它突出了為後量子世界做準備的緊迫性。比特幣開發人員和網絡安全專家可能很快就會面臨他們迄今為止最大的挑戰之一。