A team of researchers has just cut their estimate of the computational power needed for a potential quantum attack on the cryptography behind Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Compared to Google’s previous benchmark, the new figure is more than halved—from 3 billion down to 1.5 billion operations.

What Got Recalculated

This revision targets the core calculation required to hypothetically crack the cryptography used in BTC and ETH networks. The researchers say the estimated complexity drops from 3 billion to 1.5 billion, using Google’s earlier benchmark as a reference. This isn’t a real-world attack—it’s a revised estimate for a possible future scenario, not a demonstration on live networks.

Who’s Behind the Research

Over 100 experts, including AI agents, worked on the project, with input from the Ethereum Foundation and Theta Lab. Theta Network CTO @jieyilong is listed as the lead author of the study.