Google researchers say quantum computers could break Bitcoin’s cryptographic defenses sooner than anticipated, with Bitcoin’s Taproot upgrade potentially lowering the barrier.
In a newly published whitepaper, Google's Quantum AI team estimated that fewer than 500,000 physical qubits could crack Bitcoin or Ethereum cryptography-significantly less than prior assumptions. The team identified that real-time transaction interception could allow attackers to reroute funds by calculating private keys from exposed public keys during transfers.
OpenAI raised $122 billion in a record-setting round at an $852 billion valuation, driven by strong revenue growth and massive user engagement. Amazon, Nvidia, Microsoft, and SoftBank led the investment.
Meanwhile, Coinbase’s Base network unveiled its 2026 roadmap focusing on tokenized markets, stablecoins, and developer expansion. Despite Ethereum’s foundational scaling efforts, Base plans to move away from Optimism’s OP Stack toward proprietary infrastructure.
Major crypto networks are assessing post-quantum strategies amid growing concern that current encryption standards may not withstand future quantum breakthroughs.