China has not cracked encryption, at least not yet
Popular YouTuber Mental Outlaw explains why the recent quantum computing breakthrough by researchers in China does not currently threaten encryption standards.
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According to the research paper, the quantum computer used in the experiment factorized the integer 2,269,753. Mental Outlaw noted that this surpassed records set by other quantum computers but failed to surpass the record set by classical computers.
The YouTuber clarified that the quantum computer only broke a 22-bit key. For context, the record set by classical computers was cracking an 892-bit key, which required a whopping 2,700 physical core years to break.
For perspective, early RSA encryption used 512-bit keys, with modern standards adopted around 2015 ranging from 2048 to 4096 bits. Moreover, quantum computers cannot be combined to achieve greater processing power and overcome this limitation.
Quantum bits also require near-absolute zero temperatures to remain stable enough to function as viable information processors, which requires significant cooling infrastructure.
Another issue highlighted in the YouTube video is that most of the quantum bits in a quantum computing system are dedicated to error correction. This means the vast majority of the potential processing power in a quantum computer is used to correct outputs rather than solving the main problem fed to the computer.
The popular YouTuber concluded that quantum computers do not yet pose a significant threat to modern encryption standards but warned that this may change due to faster-than-expected technological progress.
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