Simply put
- Saudi Aramco has set up the first quantum computer in Saudi Arabia, developed by the French company Pascal.
- This 200-qubit machine signifies the kingdom’s entry into the quantum computing arena.
- Experts note that while today’s technology can’t break Bitcoin’s encryption, advancements are moving quickly.
Saudi Arabia is now part of the global quantum computing race.
On Monday, Saudi Aramco, a government-controlled energy firm, announced its installation of this technology, which heightens concerns over the security of Bitcoin and other blockchain networks.
The 200-qubit system, located at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran, was built by Pascal and is intended for use in industrial applications like energy modeling and materials research.
According to Pascal, this represents the most powerful system they have created. A quantum bit—or qubit—is the fundamental unit in quantum computing.
“Deploying our most advanced quantum computer represents a significant milestone for the Middle East’s future in quantum tech,” stated Pascal’s CEO, Loïc Henriette. “Pasqal is committed to expanding practical quantum power for various industries.”
This initiative places Saudi Arabia alongside countries like the U.S., China, and several others that are funding quantum programs to enhance research and skills necessary for future systems.
However, experts are cautious, as advances in quantum computing could eventually expose private keys or allow identity forgery, putting funds at risk. But how immediate is this danger?
Is it a serious threat or a dark blow?
Yun Au, founder of Voltz Technologies, emphasized that rapid developments in quantum computing are pushing the security field to address these potential risks more seriously.
“There’s so much investment in this area that breakthroughs are inevitable,” he mentioned. “While no one can predict when it’ll happen, this isn’t merely something theoretical anymore. We still can’t defeat ECC or RSA, but progress is evident.”
Au also pointed out that the government’s interest goes beyond just breaking codes.
“Quantum computing has the potential to be a global digital weapon that isn’t controlled by any political system,” he added.
Nonetheless, the research still has a long way to go before it could threaten Bitcoin’s underlying systems.
Research scientist Ian McCormack remarked that a 200-qubit system is modest, considering that current machines face limitations due to noise and short coherence times.
“With high-quality qubits, even 200 is a decent number for experiments, but it’s still not sufficient for the error-correcting needed for Scholl’s algorithm,” which is crucial for finding integer prime factors.
Future progress
Recently, researchers at Caltech unveiled a 6,000-qubit neutral atom system.
However, even such advanced systems are currently used mainly for research and not for cryptographic attacks.
To effectively perform operations, a lengthy coherence time is crucial compared to the operation’s duration, explained Ellie Bataille, a Caltech graduate student. “With a 1 microsecond operation and a 1-second coherence time, you could execute about a million operations.”
Experts argue that thousands of error-corrected logical qubits would be needed to pose any substantial risk to modern cryptography, which translates to millions of physical qubits.
While the Pasqal system doesn’t immediately threaten current blockchain security, it highlights ongoing concerns about Q-Day, the moment when quantum computers might crack private keys and forge digital signatures.
This could jeopardize not just Bitcoin’s encryption but also many systems that underpin the global economy.
“A quantum computer could forge signatures that Bitcoin relies on,” noted Justin Thaler, a researcher at Andreessen Horowitz. “Someone could possibly authorize transactions to extract Bitcoin from an account without proper consent. That’s a genuine worry.”
Presently, early-stage processors like Pasqal’s 200-qubit machine and Google’s 105-qubit chip are still far from the threshold required to launch such an attack.
“A significant long-term risk exists—perhaps more than 5%—for Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies due to quantum computing,” observed Christopher Peichert, a computer science professor at the University of Michigan. “However, this threat isn’t immediate. We still have a considerable journey ahead before quantum technology starts posing real risks to modern cryptography.”
