AT&T has expanded its contract with D-Wave Quantum Inc. to integrate quantum annealing technology into its network optimization algorithms, reducing a complex task processing time from one hour to just 15 seconds. This breakthrough pushed QBTS shares above $18.10 in premarket trading, while bitcoin slipped toward the $63,000 mark, triggering $100 million in forced liquidations. Experts warn that blockchain protocols could become the first targets of the quantum threat due to their decentralized nature. Google researchers have reduced by 20 times the estimate of computing power needed to compromise bitcoin, now placing it at fewer than 500,000 physical qubits, and the U.S. Department of Energy expects a powerful quantum computer to be built within the next three years.
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