Quantum
Alice & Bob Estimates 22,593 Qubits to Break RSA-2048
Publication: The Quantum Insider
Author: Mohib Ur Rehman
Source published: 29/10/2026, 14:00:00 UTC
Briefing created: 29/10/2026, 21:05:56 UTC
Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 29/10/2026, 14:49:26 UTC.
Briefings
Alice & Bob researchers estimate breaking RSA-2048 requires 22,593 physical cat qubits and 3.14 days on fault-tolerant superconducting hardware, representing a record low resource projection. The study also estimates breaking 256-bit elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problems requires 29,588 physical qubits and 61.8 minutes. These estimates rely on cat-qubit architecture, LDPC-cat codes, and a redesigned adder, with results based on theoretical projections rather than demonstrations. The findings suggest that fewer than 23,000 physical cat qubits could suffice to factor RSA-2048 in just three days, potentially shifting the paradigm of quantum resource requirements.
Key points
- Alice & Bob researchers estimate breaking RSA-2048 requires 22,593 physical cat qubits and 3.14 days on fault-tolerant superconducting hardware.
- The study estimates breaking 256-bit elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problems requires 29,588 physical qubits and 61.8 minutes.
Context
Alice & Bob, a leader in fault-tolerant quantum computing, released a record low estimate for quantum resources needed to break RSA-2048. The research utilizes cat-qubit hardware, LDPC-cat codes, and a redesigned adder to minimize physical qubit requirements. This finding is significant as it represents a major reduction in estimated resources compared to previous estimates from Google Quantum AI and other institutions.
Limitations
The estimates are theoretical resource projections rather than demonstrations of actual cryptographic attacks. The study relies on specific hardware architectures and algorithm optimizations that may not scale to all practical scenarios. Some details regarding the exact physical implementation and scheduling of operations are not fully detailed in the provided evidence.
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