Construction Begins at 1M Qubit Quantum Facility

The quantum computing company PsiQuantum is a step closer to its goal of building the world’s first useful quantum computer, breaking ground on the construction of a 1 million-qubit quantum facility, a size that scientists say is powerful enough to crack Bitcoin’s cryptography.

PsiQuantum co-founder Peter Shadbolt shared a photo of its Chicago site in a post to X on Thursday, saying that 500 tons of steel had been erected in six days, which will house the computer.

PsiQuantum said in September that it raised $1 billion to build the facility in collaboration with chip maker Nvidia, designed to house quantum computers capable of functioning even if they have errors.

PsiQuantum added that the facility would house 1 million qubits of quantum computing power, the equivalent of tens of billions of typical computers, with the aim of making quantum computing commercially useful to support “next-generation AI supercomputers.”

Some in the Bitcoin community have warned that the advent of quantum computing could potentially compromise Bitcoin’s cryptography.

Some Bitcoiners have argued that such a compromise could put the network, which currently secures $1.4 trillion, at risk, while others, such as Blockstream CEO Adam Back, have said quantum computers won’t post a real threat to Bitcoin for at least a decade.

Bitcoin developers are currently discussing whether to take immediate action against quantum threats via a hard fork, and if so, what that would entail.