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Quantum Breakthrough: RSA-2048 Could Be Cracked in Months

4/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Oratomic report that RSA-2048 could be cracked by quantum computers with 10,000 to 26,000 qubits.
The result stems from improved quantum error correction techniques that enable more efficient use of qubits.
The timeline implies cracking RSA-2048 could occur in under seven months.
The findings emphasize rapid progress in quantum computing and suggest practical applications may be closer.

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Story summary

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Oratomic report that RSA-2048 could be cracked by quantum computers with 10,000 to 26,000 qubits.
The result stems from improved quantum error correction techniques that enable more efficient use of qubits.
The timeline implies cracking RSA-2048 could occur in under seven months.
The findings emphasize rapid progress in quantum computing and suggest practical applications may be closer.