As bitcoin slipped to around $63,000, the impact of quantum computing on blockchain security has again moved to the forefront of the market.

On July 28, blockchain outlet U.Today reported that telecoms giant AT&T expanded its contract with D-Wave Quantum and integrated quantum annealing technology into its network optimisation algorithms.

The core of the change is that quantum computing has entered real business operations. AT&T said it can now handle complex network tasks that previously took 1 hour in 15 seconds, and after the news was reported, D-Wave Quantum shares at one point rose above $18.10 in premarket trading.

The cryptocurrency market was weak at the same time. Bitcoin fell to around $63,000, and trader positions saw forced liquidations totalling $100 million. The decline was presented as mainly driven by external factors including a fall in the KOSPI index, selling in semiconductor stocks and expectations surrounding a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.

Market attention also shifted from price moves to security risks. Edi Zurbiggen (에디 저비건), chief executive of Quantum eXchange, described cryptocurrencies as the "canary in the coal mine" in the face of quantum threats. It is a warning that blockchain protocols with decentralised structures could become the first targets of quantum computing attacks.

Some observers say the clock toward so-called "Q-Day" is also moving faster. Google researchers cut their estimate of the computing power needed to break bitcoin to 20 times lower than before, and now believe it could be possible with fewer than 500,000 physical qubits.

The U.S. Department of Energy expected a powerful quantum computer to be built within the next 3 years. IBM and Microsoft are also preparing the market for the emergence by 2029 of systems that could have a practical impact on cryptographic systems. That means the commercialisation clock for quantum computing and the clock for cryptographic security threats are both being pulled forward.

AT&T's case showed that the quantum era is no longer limited to proof of concept. As quantum technology begins to be deployed in companies' core processes such as network operations, the market has come to watch both the pace of technological progress and the pace of security responses.

The case shows quantum computing is starting to be used beyond the experimental stage to improve efficiency in commercial tasks. At the same time, the blockchain industry now faces as a practical task preparing for cryptographic system transitions rather than performance competition.

AT&T EXPANDS USE OF D-WAVE QUANTUM COMPUTING ACROSS NETWORK OPERATIONS$T has signed an agreement with $QBTS to apply its annealing quantum technology to complex network optimization problems. In early work, AT&T says the technology cut processing time for one network… pic.twitter.com/RfD3fsRVXk