This book examines one of the most consequential technological confrontations of our time: the collision between blockchain-based cryptographic security and the rapidly advancing field of quantum computing. For decades, the mathematical foundations of public-key cryptography have protected financial transactions, digital identities, and decentralized networks. Quantum computers, however, are being engineered to solve the very problems that make those foundations secure. This work explains, in accessible language, how algorithms such as Shor's algorithm could render elliptic curve cryptography and RSA obsolete within the coming decades, and what that means for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the broader ecosystem of distributed ledgers. The reader will find a rigorous yet readable account of where quantum hardware stands today, which milestones must be reached before blockchain security is genuinely at risk, and how the cryptographic community is already developing post-quantum standards in response. A dedicated section explores the role of artificial intelligence in monitoring threat timelines, accelerating the design of quantum-resistant algorithms, and helping organizations plan migration strategies. This book is aimed at technology professionals, financial analysts, policy researchers, and informed general readers who want to understand the stakes and timelines of this emerging vulnerability before it becomes an operational reality.
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