A Claimed Quantum Computing Breakthrough Was Just Debunked

yeah it was all bullshit

research done a while back in march 2025 at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Replication of Quantum Factorisation Records with an 8-bit Home Computer, an Abacus, and a dog.

https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1237.pdf

Conclusion:

In this paper we showed how to replicate current quantum factorisation records using first a VIC-20 8-bit home computer from 1981, then an abacus, and finally a dog. In terms of comparative demonstrated factorisation power, we rank a VIC-20 above an abacus, an abacus above a dog, and a dog above a quantum factorisation physics experiment. Finally, we provided standard evaluation criteria for future claimed quantum factorisations.

Acknowledgements:

The authors thank Peter Heinrich of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences for valuable information on the application of the Callas Normal Form in quantum factorisation, and Jon Callas and members of the Metzdowd cryptography list for their input and feedback.

New analysis shows that a widely-publicized quantum computing “breakthrough” doesn’t replicate under closer scrutiny. Researchers attempted to reproduce the claimed quantum advantage and found conventional explanations for the results — suggesting the original announcement oversold what the device actually did.