MilestoneTheory & algorithmsClaimed
Caltech and Oratomic estimate Shor's algorithm could run on 10,000 atomic qubits
Mar 31, 2026
On March 31, 2026, researchers at Caltech and the startup Oratomic, including John Preskill, released a preprint estimating that Shor's code-breaking algorithm could run at cryptographically relevant scales on as few as 10,000 neutral-atom qubits, instead of the millions assumed before. More qubits would speed it up.
Why it matters
A smaller code-breaking machine could arrive sooner. The authors note that neutral-atom arrays with more than 6,000 qubits already exist, although substantial engineering challenges remain.
John Preskill · Manuel Endres · Dolev Bluvstein · Caltech · Oratomic
Sources (3)
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arXiv (Cain et al., Caltech and Oratomic)
Shor's algorithm is possible with as few as 10,000 reconfigurable atomic qubits
“we show that Shor's algorithm can be executed at cryptographically relevant scales with as few as 10,000 reconfigurable atomic qubits.”
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Caltech Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM)
Shor's algorithm is possible with as few as 10,000 reconfigurable atomic qubits
“Whereas these machines were previously thought to require millions of qubits to work properly (qubits being the quantum equivalent to 1’s and 0’s in classical computers), the new results indicate that a fully realized quantum computer could be built with as few as 10,000 to 20,000 qubits.”
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The Quantum Insider
Q-Day Just Got Closer: Three Papers in Three Months Are Rewriting the Quantum Threat Timeline
“a reference to a separate Caltech/Oratomic preprint that pushed qubit estimates even lower using neutral-atom architectures.”
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