微软和原子计算实现量子计算突破，可能改变区块链采矿业

两家公司的科学家和工程师开发了一种量子计算系统，该系统由 80 个物理量子位产生的 24 个纠缠逻辑量子位组成

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.

微软和一家位于加州的科技公司 AtomComputing 最近宣布在量子计算方面取得突破，这可能会导致区块链挖矿领域的工作量证明转型。

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.

两家公司的科学家和工程师开发了一种量子计算系统，该系统由 80 个物理量子位产生的 24 个纠缠逻辑量子位组成，创下了使用纠错技术实现的纠缠逻辑量子位最高数量的新记录。

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.

这一科学突破的意义在于团队所取得的效率。之前的估计表明，可能需要数千个物理量子位协同工作才能产生单个逻辑量子位。

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.

通过纠缠总共仅 80 个量子位构建的 24 个逻辑量子位，这些系统可以可行地扩展多大以及 Microsoft 和 AtomComputing 这样的公司多久能够扩展它们的参考框架已经发生了显着变化。

Proof-of-Work

工作量证明

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.

分析师长期以来一直警告说，量子计算机有一天可能能够在打破某些经典数据安全措施时提供优势或量子加速。

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).

其中一项措施是 SHA-256 加密，它是某些区块链网络（例如比特币区块链）上的矿工必须解决的难题，才能证明工作量证明 (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.

最先进的区块链矿工，例如世界上最大的比特币采矿设施使用的模型，竞相寻找区块头的哈希值。为了解决这个难题，他们本质上必须猜测满足网络难度定义的目标的哈希值。

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.

让事情变得更复杂的是，这个难度每 2,016 个区块就会调整一次，以确保大约每 10 分钟就有新区块添加到区块链中。结果是经典矿工解决这个难题变得越来越困难。

Grover’s Algorithm

格罗弗算法

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

一种名为“格罗弗算法”的理论数据挖掘技术可能会成为传统区块链挖掘棺材上的最后一颗钉子。

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.

格罗弗算法比经典的强力搜索提供二次加速，并已在小规模实验中得到证明。然而，它在大规模问题（例如破解 SHA-256）上的应用仍然停留在理论上，因为大规模运行它所需的量子硬件尚未开发出来。

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.

具体来说，由于与 SHA-256 相关，Grover 算法需要一台具有数百或数千个纠错逻辑量子位的量子计算机，才能充分发挥作用来破解经典加密算法。

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.

虽然粗略的数学推断表明 Grover 的算法可以将 SHA-256 的复杂性降低到经典算法的大约一半，但量子力学以叠加和干涉的形式提供的违反直觉的优势增加了更大的加速潜力。最终，成本效益分析可能有利于对量子系统的投资，而不是对传统采矿设备的投资。

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.

根据上述数学推断，在大约 3,000 个逻辑量子位的情况下，基于微软和 Atom 计算最近推出的系统等架构构建的量子挖矿设备可能会压倒经典矿池，从而大规模赢得区块。

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.

尽管最近取得了一些进展，但目前尚不清楚此类钻机何时可行。分析师普遍表示，纠错量子计算需要 10 到 50 年的时间才能超越当前的限制。但这些预测远非科学，物理学家目前对于何时达到下一个里程碑还没有达成共识。

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

然而，微软和原子计算公司最近发表的研究可能有助于显着推动这一进程。

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，根据 AtomComputing 的网站，两家公司打算在 2025 年将 1,000 量子位的量子计算机推向市场。