For decades, physicists have promised that quantum computing would one day outrun classical machines. That day may have arrived.
By running it on 105 physical qubits at 99.9% fidelity, Willow became the first processor to achieve verifiable quantum advantage, proving that a quantum computer can solve a complex physical model faster and more precisely than any classical supercomputer.
In simple terms, Willow didn’t just calculate; it perceived. Its output revealed molecular structures and magnetic interactions that were mathematically invisible to traditional systems. The processor outperformed classical machines by a factor of 13,000, completing the computation in hours instead of years.
By 2024, Willow had corrected its own quantum errors in real time. The 2025 achievement goes further, offering the first fully verifiable, independently confirmed result that transforms quantum computing from theory to proof.
“This breakthrough is a significant step toward the first real-world application of quantum computing, and we’re excited to see where it leads.”
Bitcoin’s architecture rests on elliptic curve and hash-based cryptography, specifically the SHA-256 algorithm.
Its security depends on how long it would take even the fastest computer to reverse a private key from its corresponding public key.
This is a feat that would take classical machines billions of years. However, a quantum computer capable of running Shor’s algorithm could, in theory, crack those cryptographic primitives exponentially faster.
In practice, Bitcoin remains secure for now. Google’s Willow uses just 105 qubits, far below the millions of error-corrected, logical qubits needed to threaten real-world cryptography.
These coins, belonging mostly to early users and dormant wallets, would be the first to face risk if a cryptographically capable quantum system emerged.
Moreover, institutional concerns have also begun to surface.
While the firm noted that such threats remain “theoretical at this stage,” it stressed that disclosure was necessary to inform investors about technology that “could alter [BTC’s] fundamental security assumptions.”
Despite the headlines, most industry experts caution against panic.
According to him:
“Even under wildly optimistic and incorrectly extrapolated assumptions (that the quantum device can do SHA-256 at that rate and sustain it), it would still take ~10 hours on average to find one block. And Bitcoin’s entire global network produces one every 10 minutes.”
“[Google] still need millions of stable, error-corrected qubits before quantum computers can reach a ‘useful’ scale – the kind that could threaten encryption or Bitcoin.”
In fact, Anis Chohan, the CTO of Inflectiv.ai, told CryptoSlate that “we’re looking at least a decade, possibly two, before it becomes a real concern.”
“Quantum computing is basically the climate change of Bitcoin. Plenty of idiots who deny it because they can’t possibly grasp the amorphous or the astronomical, and plenty of scientists that understand it yet have no socially compelling solutions to offer.”
However, implementing them requires broad consensus across miners, exchanges, and wallet providers, which is a governance feat nearly as complex as the technology itself.
Still, Chohan concluded:
“We’ve seen similar fears before. People once thought RSA encryption was unbreakable, then feared it could be broken overnight.
Each time, we adapted. Quantum computing presents a genuine challenge, but we’re already working on post-quantum cryptography.
Since governments, banks, and crypto networks all rely on similar encryption standards, everyone has a shared stake in protecting them.
It’s not a question of if we’ll solve this—it’s about managing the transition responsibly and smoothly.”
