Traditionally as most of you will already be aware of, computers process information in binary - every piece of data is either a 0 or a 1. A quantum computer uses qubits, which exploit quantum superposition to exist as 0, 1, or both simultaneously. I’ll dive deeper into superpositions in another post. Combined with quantum entanglement, this means quantum computers process certain types of problems exponentially faster than traditional computers.

The key word there is “certain” types of problems. Quantum computers aren’t universally faster on every level. But they are extremely powerful at solving a huge range mathematical problems. Unfortunately for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, one of those mathematical problems could pose a risk to the entire crypto economy.