{"id":40217,"date":"2025-08-03T18:31:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T18:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=40217"},"modified":"2025-08-03T18:31:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T18:31:39","slug":"elon-musk-poses-chilling-question-can-quantum-computers-hack-bitcoin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=40217","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk Poses Chilling Question: Can Quantum Computers Hack Bitcoin?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Elon Musk is raising new questions about Bitcoin\u2019s long-term safety in the face of rapid advances in quantum computing. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO turned to his AI chatbot, Grok, to find out how likely it is that Bitcoin\u2019s SHA-256 hashing algorithm could be cracked by powerful quantum machines.<\/p>\n

His question came just as IBM revealed major plans for its next-generation quantum system called Blue Jay, which is expected to reach 2,000 global qubits by 2033.<\/p>\n

Grok Predicts Low Risk, At Least For Now<\/h2>\n

According to Grok, the risk of Bitcoin\u2019s encryption getting cracked by quantum computers<\/a> is very low over the next five years. The AI estimates the chance remains close to zero during that period.<\/p>\n

But when looking out to 2035, the probability goes up slightly\u2014though it still stays under 10%. These numbers are based on expert assessments and current quantum capabilities.<\/p>\n

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Based on 2025 assessments from NIST, IBM, and expert surveys, the probability of quantum computing cracking SHA-256 (via Grover\u2019s algorithm, reducing preimage search to ~2^128 operations) is near 0% in the next 5 years and <10% by 2035. It requires millions of error-corrected\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Grok (@grok) August 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Musk\u2019s concerns are not coming out of nowhere. Companies like Google and Microsoft are developing their own quantum platforms\u2014Willow<\/a> and Majorana 1\u2014which have sparked debate over whether cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin could one day be vulnerable to attacks from these ultra-powerful systems.<\/p>\n

Right now, most quantum systems only have around 1,000 qubits<\/a>. That\u2019s far below the millions of error-corrected qubits scientists believe are necessary to break Bitcoin\u2019s cryptographic defenses.<\/p>\n

Grok added that stronger algorithms like SHA-3 or SHA-512 could be used as replacements if needed in the future.<\/p>\n


\nQuantum Computers Vs. Blockchain<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, according to a recent analysis<\/a> by global auditing firm Deloitte, quantum computers could soon threaten the security of the Bitcoin blockchain, with around 25% of Bitcoins currently at risk of being stolen through quantum attacks.<\/p>\n

Eventually, quantum computers might become powerful enough to break the entire transaction process, the analysts said. To prevent this, the Bitcoin network would need to adopt post-quantum cryptography\u2014an emerging but complex solution currently being explored by cryptographers worldwide.<\/p>\n

IBM\u2019s Blue Jay Adds Pressure<\/p>\n

IBM\u2019s new system, Blue Jay<\/a>, will have more than a billion gate operations\u2014something much beyond the capabilities of today\u2019s computers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of the company\u2019s larger effort to be at the forefront of quantum computing by the early 2030s. With other industry giants such as Google and Microsoft not far behind, the competition is heating up.<\/p>\n

Tesla And SpaceX Both Hold Bitcoin<\/h2>\n

Musk\u2019s curiosity isn\u2019t just academic. Tesla currently owns 11,500 Bitcoins, worth about $1.3 billion at current prices. SpaceX also holds a sizable amount, reportedly around $850 million worth of BTC. Musk himself has confirmed that he holds Bitcoin<\/a> in his personal portfolio.<\/p>\n

With the extent of those holdings, it is no wonder that Musk would like to get ahead of potential threats. His tweet is seemingly relaxed, but it indicates increased awareness in the tech world about how quantum advances might affect the world of crypto and finance.<\/p>\n

Featured image from ABB, chart from TradingView<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elon Musk is raising new questions about Bitcoin\u2019s long-term safety in the face of rapid advances in quantum computing. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO turned to his AI chatbot, Grok, to find out how likely it is that Bitcoin\u2019s SHA-256 hashing algorithm could be cracked by powerful quantum machines. His question came just as IBM […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,5],"class_list":["post-40217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crypto","tag-doge","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40217\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}