Quantum Computers Need Fewer Qubits To crack Crypto Than Thought: Google

Staff Writer

April 14, 2026

Google has updated its estimates of the quantum computing resources needed to break elliptic curve cryptography.

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New research from Google shows that quantum computers could require far less resources than previously thought to break the cryptography that secures cryptocurrency blockchains.

Google’s new research, released on Monday, estimates a quantum computer could crack the cryptography protecting Bitcoin BTC$74,744 and Ethereum ETH$2,341 using fewer than 500,000 physical qubits, based on its current assumptions about hardware capabilities. A qubit is the basic unit of a quantum computer.

The researchers compiled two quantum circuits to test on a superconducting-qubit, cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC), reporting that it was a “20-fold reduction” in the number of qubits required to break the 256-bit elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP-256) widely used in cryptocurrency blockchains.

The research suggests that in a theoretical scenario, a quantum computer could crack a Bitcoin private key in as little as nine minutes, giving it a small window to perform an “on-spend attack” given Bitcoin’s 10-minute block time.

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encryption / Google / HH / QuBits

Staff Writer

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