The arrival of quantum computers has caused great concern because they may pose a threat to the survival of Blockchain. This technology needs to improve the areas of security, crypto agility and governance so that new discoveries do not outperform it.
Although many people consider that quantum computers represent a threat to Blockchain technology, they do not necessarily imply their end.
Since Google claimed to have developed the first truly functional quantum computer, rumors about a possible end of the blockchain became increasingly latent. Many people believe that quantum computers will eventually make Blockchain obsolete.
This situation occurs because the security of Blockchain depends on the difficulty in solving underlying mathematical problems. That is the reason why quantum computers, which are capable of performing calculations at the speed of light, may appear to be a major threat.
However, those people who say that the end of Blockchain has arrived are wrong. The mere fact of having claimed the achievement of quantum supremacy, as Google did, does not mean that it can have control over Blockchain. Some studies even reveal that the advances made by Google are rather modest.
Not only do the detractors of Google agree with this premise but also IBM. After a strange war of words, the latter said that its competitor was exaggerating the importance of its achievement regarding quantum computers.
Despite that, something of which the crypto community should be aware of is the progress of quantum computers. As technology advances, blockchains will have to maintain a pace of innovation so as not to be outperformed.
Areas That Blockchain Must Reinforce
Quantum computers might not only pose a threat to Blockchain regarding security issues. There are two other areas in which this technology needs to improve so that new discoveries do not overcome it.
The second capacity refers to crypto agility issues. This concept refers to the ability of developers to improve a blockchain. In this sense, it would be used so that quantum resistance characteristics can be implemented after the network is operational.
Due to the large number of projects being built on Blockchain, its ability to update its own components continuously will be crucial.
The third capacity has to do with the governance of the blockchain. Due to the uncertainty about when quantum computers will arrive on a global scale, Blockchain projects must establish procedures to determine when and how to implement “secure quantum” updates on their networks.
This might present the greatest challenge of all. The main problem is that achieving governance has been difficult up to the present time. It is essential that people in the crypto space should begin to think seriously about this to keep governance from being an obstacle to the improvement of technology.
The threat of quantum computers provide Blockchain developers with a great opportunity to prove their knowledge and experience to find solutions to the issues described above. This technology has allowed the creation of countless projects that have contributed to the cooperation among the different members of the network.
By Willmen Blanco
