Emerge's 2025 Tech Trend of The Year: Quantum Computing Stopped Being Background Noise
In 2025, quantum computing hardware achieved a significant milestone when Caltech trapped 6,100 neutral-atom qubits in a single array with unprecedented coherence and accuracy. This, along with advances from Google and IBM, pushed the field from proof-of-concept experiments towards scalable, error-corrected machines. These developments reduced the estimated ratio of physical-to-logical qubits needed for reliable computation, tightening timelines for fault-tolerant quantum computers. While Bitcoin and current digital currencies remain safe for now, the progress has made quantum threats to cryptography credible within the next decade, particularly if machines capable of breaking widely-used encryption algorithms emerge by the mid-2030s. The pace of hardware scalability, error correction, and industry progress has forced the cryptography community, especially Bitcoin, to seriously consider transitions to quantum-resistant algorithms. However, Bitcoin faces unique adoption and coordination hurdles when migrating millions of users. Quantum risk is expected to grow gradually rather than suddenly, and though imminent danger remains distant, 2025 marked a shift from dismissing quantum threats to actively planning for their eventual reality.
