- Saudi Aramco installed Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer, a 200-qubit system built by France-based Pasqal.
- The quantum computer is designed for industrial uses like energy modeling and material research.
- Current quantum machines, including this one, cannot break Bitcoin’s cryptography but demonstrate growing technological progress.
- Experts warn about a future risk called Q-Day when quantum computers might threaten blockchain security.
In a significant development, Saudi Aramco, the state-owned energy and chemicals giant, has installed Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer. The 200-qubit machine, developed by France-based neutral-atom quantum computing company Pasqal, was set up at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran. It aims to support industrial applications, including energy modeling and materials research.
Pasqal describes this system as their most powerful to date. A qubit, or quantum bit, serves as the basic unit of information in a quantum computer, enabling more complex calculations than traditional bits. This installation places Saudi Arabia among countries like the U.S., China, the EU, the UK, Japan, India, and Canada, which have national quantum programs to build infrastructure and train skilled workers.
While experts recognize the potential impact of quantum computing on cryptography, current machines are not yet capable of breaking Bitcoin’s security protocols. According to Yoon Auh, founder of Bolts Technologies, although quantum computers cannot break encryption like ECC or RSA today, the technology is advancing steadily. Auh stated, “Nobody knows when, but the threat is no longer theoretical.”
Research scientist Ian MacCormack explained that a 200-qubit system is relatively small, limited by noise and coherence duration, restricting operational capacity. He noted the system is insufficient for running Shor’s Algorithm, a quantum algorithm used to factor integers and break certain cryptographic systems.
In September, researchers at Caltech revealed a neutral-atom quantum system with 6,000 qubits, yet these larger systems remain for research and algorithm development, not cryptographic attacks. Caltech graduate student Elie Bataille pointed out the importance of coherence time—the duration qubits retain information relative to operation speed—to perform many operations effectively.
The long-term security risk is known as Q-Day, when a quantum computer might derive private keys from public keys to forge digital signatures. This capability could allow unauthorized access to Bitcoin and other systems relying on similar cryptography. Justin Thaler, research partner at Andreessen Horowitz, warned that such advances could enable attackers to authorize transactions fraudulently.
Despite these concerns, experts including Professor Christopher Peikert of the University of Michigan believe this threat remains distant. Peikert stated, “Quantum-computing technology still has too far to go before it can threaten modern cryptography.” Current processors, such as Pasqal’s 200-qubit machine and Google’s 105-qubit Willow chip, fall well short of the requirements to endanger blockchain security.
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