Google's Quantum AI team has released a white paper indicating that future quantum computers capable of cryptographic attacks could break the 256-bit elliptic curve encryption widely used in cryptocurrency wallets with fewer resources than previously expected. According to Google, under standard hardware assumptions, fewer than 500,000 physical qubits could potentially crack this encryption in minutes. The team urges the blockchain industry to transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to mitigate long-term security risks.