微軟和原子運算實現量子運算突破，可能改變區塊鏈採礦業

兩家公司的科學家和工程師開發了一種量子計算系統，該系統由 80 個物理量子位元產生的 24 個糾纏邏輯量子位元組成

Microsoft and a California-based technology firm called Atom Computing recently announced a breakthrough in quantum computing that could lead to a proof-of-work transformation in the world of blockchain mining.

微軟和一家位於加州的科技公司 AtomComputing 最近宣佈在量子運算方面取得突破，這可能會導致區塊鏈挖礦領域的工作量證明轉型。

Scientists and engineers from the two companies developed a quantum computing system consisting of 24 entangled logical qubits produced by only 80 physical qubits — setting a new record for the highest number of entangled logical qubits achieved using error correction techniques.

兩家公司的科學家和工程師開發了一種量子計算系統，該系統由80 個物理量子位元產生的24 個糾纏邏輯量子位元組成，創下了使用糾錯技術實現的糾纏邏輯量子位元最高數量的新記錄。

The significance of this scientific breakthrough lies in the teams’ achieved efficiency. Previous estimations have indicated that it could take thousands of physical qubits working in tandem to produce a single logical qubit.

這項科學突破的意義在於團隊所取得的效率。先前的估計表明，可能需要數千個物理量子位元協同工作才能產生單一邏輯量子位元。

By entangling 24 logical qubits built with a mere 80 qubits total, the frame of reference for both how large these systems can feasibly be scaled, and how soon companies like Microsoft and Atom Computing will be able to scale them, has shifted significantly.

透過糾纏總共僅 80 個量子位元建構的 24 個邏輯量子位元，這些系統可以可行地擴展多大以及 Microsoft 和 AtomComputing 這樣的公司多久能夠擴展它們的參考框架已經發生了顯著變化。

Proof-of-Work

工作量證明

Analysts have long warned that quantum computers could one day be capable of providing an advantage or quantum speedup when it comes to breaking certain classical data security measures.

分析師長期以來一直警告說，量子電腦有一天可能能夠在打破某些經典數據安全措施時提供優勢或量子加速。

One such measure, SHA-256 encryption, serves as the puzzle that miners on certain blockchain networks, such as the Bitcoin blockchain, must solve in order to demonstrate proof-of-work (PoW).

其中一項措施是 SHA-256 加密，它是某些區塊鏈網路（例如比特幣區塊鏈）上的礦工必須解決的難題，才能證明工作量證明 (PoW)。

State-of-the-art blockchain miners, such as the models used by the world’s largest Bitcoin mining facilities, compete to find a hash for a block's header. To solve the puzzle, they essentially have to guess the hash that meets a target defined by the network’s difficulty.

最先進的區塊鏈礦工，例如世界上最大的比特幣採礦設施所使用的模型，競相尋找區塊頭的哈希值。為了解決這個難題，他們本質上必須猜測滿足網路難度定義的目標的雜湊。

Complicating matters, this difficulty adjusts every 2,016 blocks to ensure that new blocks are added to the blockchain roughly every 10 minutes. The result is that it’s become increasingly difficult for classical miners to solve the puzzle.

讓事情變得更複雜的是，這個難度每 2,016 個區塊就會調整一次，以確保大約每 10 分鐘就有新區塊添加到區塊鏈中。結果是經典礦工解決這個難題變得越來越困難。

Grover’s Algorithm

格羅佛演算法

A theoretical data-mining technique called “Grover’s Algorithm” could be the final nail in classical blockchain mining’s coffin.

一種名為「格羅弗演算法」的理論資料探勘技術可能會成為傳統區塊鏈挖掘棺材上的最後一根釘子。

Grover’s Algorithm, which offers quadratic speedup over classical brute-force searches, has been proven in small-scale experiments. However, its application to large-scale problems, such as cracking SHA-256, remains theoretical because the quantum hardware needed to run it at scale hasn't been developed yet.

格羅佛演算法比經典的強力搜尋提供二次加速，並已在小規模實驗中得到證明。然而，它在大規模問題（例如破解 SHA-256）上的應用仍然停留在理論上，因為大規模運行它所需的量子硬體尚未開發出來。

Specifically, as it relates to SHA-256, Grover’s Algorithm would need a quantum computer with hundreds or thousands of error-corrected, logical qubits to function well enough to crack classical encryption algorithms.

具體來說，由於與 SHA-256 相關，Grover 演算法需要一台具有數百或數千個糾錯邏輯量子位元的量子計算機，才能充分發揮作用來破解經典加密演算法。

Quantum Speedup

量子加速

While a cursory mathematical extrapolation shows that Grover’s algorithm could reduce the complexity of SHA-256 to approximately half the classical effort, the counterintuitive advantage provided by quantum mechanics — in the form of superposition and interference — adds even greater potential for speedup. Eventually, a cost-benefit analysis could favor investment in quantum systems over classical mining rigs.

雖然粗略的數學推論表明 Grover 的演算法可以將 SHA-256 的複雜性降低到經典演算法的大約一半，但量子力學以疊加和乾涉的形式提供的違反直覺的優勢增加了更大的加速潛力。最終，成本效益分析可能有利於對量子系統的投資，而不是對傳統採礦設備的投資。

Based on the aforementioned mathematical extrapolation, at around 3,000 logical qubits, quantum mining rigs built on architectures such as the system recently debuted by Microsoft and Atom computing could feasibly overpower the classical mining pool to win blocks at scale.

根據上述數學推斷，在大約 3,000 個邏輯量子位元的情況下，基於微軟和 Atom 計算最近推出的系統等架構構建的量子挖礦設備可能會壓倒經典礦池，從而大規模贏得區塊。

Despite the recent advances, it remains unclear when such rigs will be feasible. Analysts have generally indicated a timeframe between 10 and 50 years for error-corrected quantum computing beyond its current limitations. But these predictions are far from scientific, and there’s no current consensus among physicists as to when the next milestones will be reached.

儘管最近取得了一些進展，但目前尚不清楚此類鑽孔機何時可行。分析師普遍表示，糾錯量子運算需要 10 到 50 年的時間才能超越目前的限制。但這些預測遠非科學，物理學家目前對於何時達到下一個里程碑還沒有共識。

However, the recently published research from Microsoft and Atom Computing could serve to move the needle significantly toward the present.

然而，微軟和原子計算公司最近發表的研究可能有助於顯著推動這一進程。

Per Atom Computing’s website, for example, the two firms intend to bring a 1,000-qubit quantum computer to market in 2025.

例如，根據 AtomComputing 的網站，兩家公司打算在 2025 年將 1,000 量子位元的量子電腦推向市場。