Quantum computers were not expected to pose a threat to Bitcoin’s security anytime soon. However, IBM has launched a project that can promote the timeline, which is expected to debut by 2029.
Despite the ability to calculate in multiple directions simultaneously, the error rates for quantum computers in the current generation are high. Without fault tolerance and the ability to detect and correct errors when they occur, quantum computers cannot execute the complex algorithms needed to crack the blockchain.
A system named IBM Quantum Starling is designed to perform 100 million quantum operations using 200 error-corrected qubits. It is housed in IBM’s quantum data center in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is part of the ongoing roadmap for scalable quantum computing, which was expanded until 2033.
“Recent revisions to that roadmap project are on the road to 2033 and have so far been successfully delivered on each milestone,” IBM said in a statement. “Based on that past success, we are confident in our continued progress.”
IBM’s approach to fault tolerance focuses on error correction. Quantum systems are extremely sensitive to noise, omission and environmental disorders, and can disrupt Kitz almost immediately. The company’s solution uses a bivariate bicycle code, a type of quantum low density parity check (LDPC) code that claims to reduce the number of physical kits required by up to 90% compared to previous methods.
Starling features a real-time error correction decoder that can be run on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), allowing for immediate response to errors before escalation.
“With great efforts being made to correct and mitigate quantum errors, the connectivity of the new processors is particularly promising to implement quantum error correction codes more efficiently.” Decryption.
“This new processor helps simplify the complex calculations needed to understand how molecules and materials behave,” says Di Felice. “It could lead to breakthroughs in areas such as rust prevention, improved chemical reactions, and designing new drugs.”
Check out our company’s updated quantum computing roadmap to understand how IBM can achieve its goals.
Sterling Roadmap
2025
- Release of the 120-kut IBM Nighthawk processor with 16 times larger circuit depth functionality.
- Extensions to Qiskit software include integration of dynamic circuitry and high performance computing (HPC) environments.
- Introducing modular fault-resistant quantum computing architectures.
- The IBM Quantum Loon is designed to test the architectural components of QLDPC code, including “C couplers” that connect kitz over long distances within the same chip.
2026
- IBM is targeting the first Quantum Advantage demo.
- Extending error mitigation and utility mapping tools to support complex quantum workloads prior to full fault tolerance.
- The IBM Quantum Kookaburra, scheduled for release in 2026, will be IBM’s first modular processor designed to store and process encoded information. Combines quantum memory and logic operations. This is the fundamental component for scaling fault-resistant systems beyond a single chip.
2027
- Scales to 1,080 ketz via a chip-to-chip coupler.
- The expected IBM Quantum Cockatoo for 2027 will rewind two Kookaburra modules using “L-couplers”. This architecture, like nodes in large systems, avoids the need to link quantum chips to build impractical large chips.
2028–2029
- A complete development for 2029, a prototype of fault-resistant quantum computers (STARLING) expected by 2028.
Why is it important?
Earlier this week, strategy co-founder Michael Saylor downplayed the threat of quantum computers and called it a greater risk to banks and governments than Bitcoin.
“They will hack your banking system, your Google account, your Microsoft account, and all other assets you have.
Experts such as Professor David Badder of New Jersey Institute of Technology consider failure resistance to be a link pin for practical quantum computing, a threat to current cryptographic systems.
“Fault tolerance is the process of reducing vulnerability to these quantum computers and making them more error-prone,” he said. “This is the key technology needed to extend beyond just a handful of Qubits to what is needed for a real application.
Badder acknowledged the fear that one of these applications could undermine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and highlighted the importance of blockchain developers moving towards quantum-resistant encryption.
“There’s still a few years away from a powerful quantum computer that can run Shor’s algorithms,” he said. “The blockchain won’t break suddenly in 2029, but it’s worth watching.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward
