Google Quantum Breakthrough Cuts Errors 40-Fold, Prompting Crypto Post-Quantum Transition Calls

Google Quantum AI demonstrated a 40-fold error reduction and 99.99% logical fidelity for T-states on its 105-qubit Willow processor, according to research published in Science. The breakthrough tackles magic state cultivation, which historically consumed up to 95% of a quantum computer's capacity, though only 8% of cultivation attempts passed filtering checks. While Bitcoin stabilized near $82,700, the advance reignited industry debate over cryptographic security. Researchers estimate cracking Bitcoin's elliptic-curve cryptography requires fewer than 500,000 physical qubits or under 1,200 to 1,450 logical qubits, potentially exposing between 2.3 million and 7 million BTC with exposed public keys.