Microsoft’s new state of matter is a quantum threat to bitcoin
Microsoft’s new state of matter is a quantum threat to bitcoin Microsoft has discovered a new state of matter that could threaten the security protocols underlying bitcoin (BTC). The computing giant’s recent breakthrough in its Majorana 1 quantum chip involves a “topological superconductor” that is a novel phase of matter distinct from solid, liquid, or gas. Using this new superconductive material, Microsoft engineers manipulate subatomic, Majorana fermions to process data via qubits (quantum bits). Although quantum computers might be able to solve problems like weather prediction or protein-fold Analysis , Microsoft’s breakthrough also raises urgent questions about the security of modern cryptography. Protocols like SHA256 and ECDSA are vulnerable to quantum computing yet currently secure BTC from double-spending and mining power takeovers. BTC is secure because node operators trust cryptographic proofs of the computational work and electricity exp...